Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has firmly denied having any knowledge of the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, telling the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that she had "nothing to add" beyond her earlier sworn declaration dated January 13.

In a post on X on Thursday, the former Secretary of State shared her opening statement submitted to the committee.

In the statement dated February 26, 2026, Clinton said the panel had justified its subpoena based on the "assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."

"Let me be as clear as I can. I do not," she said. "As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that."

Clinton provided more than six hours of closed-door testimony before the House Oversight Committee regarding her knowledge of Epstein and Maxwell. The deposition took place in Chappaqua, New York, after months of legal exchanges between the Clintons and the Republican-led panel.

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Expressing anger over the handling of Epstein’s case, she described it as "unfathomable that Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade."

Clinton also criticised the committee’s approach, accusing it of political bias and limited transparency. "Too often Congressional investigations are partisan political theatre, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American people," she said.

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She noted that eight law enforcement officials had been subpoenaed but only one appeared before the committee, while the others were allowed to submit short statements. She further alleged that the committee had held "zero public hearings" and denied media access.

"This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter," she said. "My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf."

Highlighting her record on combating human trafficking, Clinton said her efforts date back to her tenure as First Lady, when she supported the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. As Secretary of State, she said she appointed former federal prosecutor Lou CdeBaca to strengthen global anti-trafficking initiatives and oversaw nearly 170 programmes across 70 countries.

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"I insisted that the United States be included in the report for the first time ever in 2011. Because we must hold ourselves not just to the same standard as the rest of the world but to an even higher one. Sex trafficking and modern slavery should have no place in America. None," she said.

Clinton also criticised the Trump Administration, accusing it of weakening anti-trafficking measures. "The message from the Trump Administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer: combating human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House," she said. "That is a tragedy. It's a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation and oversight."

In some of her strongest remarks, Clinton questioned why the committee had not subpoenaed Donald Trump directly.

"If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files," she said.

She concluded by urging lawmakers to focus on survivors rather than political battles. "They expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship. Leading, not grandstanding. They expect you to use your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of Epstein's crimes as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking," she said.

 


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