Former First Lady Hillary Clinton sat for a closed-door deposition before a congressional committee on Thursday (February 26) as part of a probe linked to Jeffrey Epstein, but the session was temporarily halted after a photo from inside the room appeared online.
Clinton, who previously served as US secretary of state, spent several hours answering questions in the private hearing. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, is scheduled to testify on Friday (February 27).
In her opening remarks, the former presidential nominee said she had ‘no idea’ about Epstein’s criminal conduct, adding: “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.”
During the questioning, MAGA influencer Benny Johnson posted an image to X showing the 78-year-old in the deposition room, claiming it had been provided by GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert.
🚨BREAKING: The first image of Hillary Clinton testifying under oath about Jeffery Epstein to the Republican Oversight Committee.
This is the first time Hillary has had to answer real questions about Epstein. Clinton does not look happy.
Photo provided by Rep. Lauren Boebert. pic.twitter.com/mPtUyA4u5i
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 26, 2026
Alongside the photo, Johnson wrote: “The first image of Hillary Clinton testifying under oath about Jeffery Epstein to the Republican Oversight Committee.
“This is the first time Hillary has had to answer real questions about Epstein. Clinton does not look happy.”
Boebert did not directly confirm she was the source of the image, but she publicly defended Johnson on X.
“Benny did nothing wrong,” she said. “Proceeding with deposition.”
After the post circulated, the deposition was paused while officials looked into how the image was taken and shared. Nick Merrill, an adviser to Clinton, said the committee went off the record ‘while they figure out where the photo came from and why possibly members of Congress are violating House rules’, as per the Independent.
Clinton’s legal team also asked for the proceedings to stop, arguing that the leak violated restrictions on photography during closed-door congressional testimony.
A spokesperson for the former First Lady told the Daily Mail: “It’s against chamber rules that were read at the top of the meeting. So the hearing has been paused briefly while they figure out where the photo came from and why, possibly, members of Congress are violating House rules.”
Clinton also used her opening statement to argue that President Donald Trump should be required to testify under oath in relation to Epstein.
She said: “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.”
Both Hillary and Bill Clinton were subpoenaed to appear before the committee.