Hillary Clinton '69 is referenced 802 times in the Epstein files. Here is what we know.

Over the past few months, numerous high-profile figures — including former Harvard professor Larry Summers and former MIT professor Noam Chomsky — have faced scrutiny as their ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein emerged with the release of the Epstein files.

As the public fallout intensifies, Wellesley’s most celebrated alumna once again finds herself under the spotlight.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’69 is set to testify before Congress today, Feb. 26, as the House Oversight Committee examines her connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Clinton has claimed that she “never met” Epstein, though she acknowledges having met Epstein’s accomplice and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell “on a few occasions.”

In contrast, there are numerous documented direct interactions between Epstein and former President Bill Clinton, including 26 logged trips on Epstein’s private Boeing 727 jet between 2001 and 2003. Bill Clinton has maintained that he was once an acquaintance of Epstein but “stopped communicating with him at least a decade before his arrest in 2019,” according to POLITICO.

To better understand Hillary Clinton’s implication in the Epstein scandal, the News reviewed all documents containing the term “Hillary” within the Epstein files. Of the 1,203 files mentioning “Hillary” — as of Feb. 25 — the News recorded 802 unique documents specifically referencing Hillary Clinton. Each relevant file was then categorized by content, medium and time period.

The News’ analysis revealed that the files contained zero verified in-person or digital communications between Hillary Clinton and Epstein directly.

The largest category of files — about 34% — referenced Hillary Clinton in the context of her campaigns, fundraising or political messaging, mostly concerning her 2016 presidential run. In line with this, nearly 50% of files were sent between 2016 and 2020.

Additionally, around 27% of files pertained to Hillary Clinton’s work as U.S. Secretary of State. Such files primarily existed in the form of emailed news articles or excerpts of speeches.

About 20% of files consisted of rumors, tabloid articles or uncorroborated testimony. For example, one email contained only a link to a National Enquirer article alleging that Hillary Clinton’s “fixer” arranged “sex trysts.” Another file included a 2020 FBI testimony from a human trafficking victim vaguely mentioning being “involved” with Clinton without elaboration.

Around 12% of files referenced Hillary Clinton only in passing or via links with no substantive content.

Less than one percent of the relevant files documented verified interactions between Hillary Clinton and convicted sex offenders affiliated with Epstein. Such files referenced two instances: Maxwell’s 2010 attendance at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding ceremony and the Clintons’ 2016 dinner with convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein.

Multiple files corroborated the first instance. Maxwell was photographed at the wedding ceremony of Chelsea Clinton — Hillary and Bill Clinton’s daughter — one month after Maxwell postponed a scheduled deposition by claiming she was leaving the country to care for her ill mother.

Additionally, upon a request for Maxwell to share communications she had with the Clintons as part of a 2015 defamation lawsuit, she refused and claimed it was irrelevant to the case.

The second instance centers around a screenshot of a 2018 Daily Mail article, where Hillary and Bill Clinton were photographed dining with Weinstein in December 2016, weeks after Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 presidential election. At the time, Weinstein

was not yet convicted; it was not until the

New York Timespublished exposés in October 2017 that the sexual assault allegations against him gained traction.

A document that appears to be written by an Epstein and Maxwell survivor corroborated the dinner, alleging it was a “consolation dinner” after the former presidential candidate’s loss.

Daily Mail)

Files and past reporting also show that Epstein himself had financial ties to one of Hillary Clinton’s campaigns. Epstein donated $20,000 to Hillary Clinton during her 2000 Senate campaign through her joint fundraising committee with the Democratic Party.

Numerous files reference a 2006 Palm Beach Post article, which reported that Epstein “donated more than $100,000 to Democratic candidates’ campaigns, including … Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

At the same time, certain files suggest a distant or even avoidant relationship between Hillary Clinton and Epstein.

In a set of email exchanges between an individual named Nina K. and Epstein, K. wrote, “Apparently [Hillary] Clinton would also be here the same day as you (and I guess you know her pretty well).” In his response, Epstein requested an itinerary change because he “[did] not want to be there the same day as Hillary.”

While this email exchange demonstrates limited direct interaction between Hillary Clinton and Epstein, it also helps explain why her upcoming testimony has drawn so much public attention.

As Hillary Clinton appears before the House Oversight Committee, Wellesley College — which has maintained a longstanding relationship with the former Secretary of State — finds itself navigating renewed public scrutiny of its most prominent alumna, even though the News’s analysis found no direct communications between Clinton and Epstein.

In 2024, the College launched the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center for Citizenship, Leadership, and Democracy. Since then, it has hosted Hillary Clinton on campus on several occasions, most recently in January 2026.

As of Feb. 25, the College is not conducting its own investigation of Hillary Clinton’s references in the Epstein files, but it shared in a statement with the News that it will monitor the conclusions of the “multiple professional investigations currently underway.”

The release of the Epstein files has revealed connections to numerous high-profile men, many of whom appear to have had far more extensive associations with Epstein than Hillary Clinton did. Several peer institutions have begun to sever relationships with those implicated in the files.

Just yesterday, Feb. 25, Harvard University announced that former university President Larry Summers will resign from teaching at the end of the academic year, following scrutiny over his extensive communications with Epstein. Summers was mentioned over 600 times in the Epstein files, with one file showing a 2019 direct email exchange with Epstein, after the financier had been charged with sexual abuse of minors.

Similarly, Tufts University is examining its connections with Tufts alumnus and donor Steve Tisch. Tisch’s name appears over 400 times in the files, including in an email that reveals Epstein “connected New York Giants chairman and co-owner Steve Tisch with multiple women.”

In the College’s response to an inquiry about its relationship with Hillary Clinton amid renewed public concern regarding the Epstein files, it emphasized its stance regarding the Epstein scandal: “Jeffrey Epstein’s decades of abuse damaged or destroyed the lives of so many young women who we hope will get the transparency and justice they deserve.”

In addition, the College affirmed its standing support of Hillary Clinton.

“For 150 years, Wellesley College has empowered women and helped prepare them to make a difference in the world,” the College wrote in its statement to the News. “Secretary Clinton is an invaluable supporter of that educational mission and we welcome her continued engagement with the College.”

Hillary Clinton did not respond to our request for comment

*Note: As a team of five student journalists, we acknowledge the limitations of our data analysis. Fluctuating file counts and frequent updates in the library during the review process may affect quantitative accuracy. Keyword searches may have missed alternate spellings, nicknames or partial names and individual student editors’ interpretations may have influenced categorization. *

Contact the editors responsible for this article: Galeta Sandercock and Rebecca Birnbach