Freshly published video from the House Oversight Committee captures the moment former President Bill Clinton was questioned about whether he thinks Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide.
The committee released footage from lengthy, closed-door depositions conducted over two days, making the recordings public on Monday (March 2).
Clinton’s interviews took place under oath on Thursday and Friday of last week. Hillary Clinton was also deposed by the House Oversight Committee.
The couple had initially declined to sit for interviews connected to the continuing inquiries into Epstein, but later agreed to participate.
House Oversight Committee chairman and Government Reform Chairman James Comer said the decision shifted after it “became clear that we would hold them in contempt” and that the Clintons then “caved”, BBC News reported in February.
The testimony is notable, with Clinton described as the first sitting or former president to be required to give evidence before Congress.
In one segment of the newly released recordings, Clinton is pressed about Epstein’s death in 2019 and asked for his personal view.
Clinton was asked: “I would just like to ask you, personally and directly: do you believe that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself?”
His attorney then injected and clarified: “Are you asking him to speculate on how Mr. Epstein died?”
A committee member then adjusted her line of questioning, asking instead whether Epstein—referred to as Clinton’s “friend”—had been suicidal.
Clinton’s attorney interrupted again, disputing the characterization of the relationship and saying Clinton and Epstein were not friends, but were “friendly”.
Eventually, Clinton responded to the question about Epstein’s death, saying: “I don’t know. I don’t know what the medical finding was. I think maybe he finally got caught and– I don’t know.”
He added: “I’ve accepted in my own mind that I don’t know.”
Clinton was then asked to spell out what he meant—whether he accepted that Epstein killed himself or that he did not.
“That he did, but I don’t know,” the former president replied. “And neither do you. None of us know.”
More to follow.