Washington, Feb 27 (NationPress) Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton informed lawmakers during a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that she possessed no knowledge regarding Jeffrey Epstein's illicit activities and could not recall any meetings with the disgraced financier.

“I had no awareness of their criminal acts. I do not remember ever meeting Mr. Epstein. I never traveled on his plane or visited his various properties,” Clinton stated in her prepared remarks shared prior to her testimony.

Clinton's appearance was mandated by subpoena as part of the Republican-led committee's investigation into how the federal government managed inquiries related to Epstein, who died while in custody in 2019 after facing sex trafficking charges, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is presently serving a federal prison sentence.

In her introductory remarks, Clinton strongly condemned the investigation, accusing the committee of compelling her testimony “fully aware that I have no information that would contribute to your investigation, solely to divert attention from President Trump's actions and to obscure them despite genuine calls for transparency.”

She emphasized that the inquiry was “engineered to safeguard one political party and one public official, rather than to pursue truth and justice for the victims and survivors.”

Clinton reiterated that she did not remember ever interacting with Epstein and claimed she had “nothing further to offer” beyond her sworn statement from January.

The deposition was momentarily marred by controversy when a photograph from inside the closed session was leaked online. House regulations prohibit photography during these proceedings. Clinton later expressed her discontent with the leak, calling it “very distressing, as it implied possible violations of other terms of our agreements.”

She also described the questioning as monotonous. “I lost count of how many times I had to state that I did not know Jeffrey Epstein,” she told reporters following the session. “It’s on the record multiple times.”

Representative James R. Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, defended the investigation, asserting, “This isn’t a partisan witch hunt,” and noted that Democrats had voted to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress after their initial reluctance to appear.

Comer mentioned that Republicans were unsatisfied with some of Clinton’s responses and intended to pursue further inquiries when former President Bill Clinton testifies on Friday.

The Democrats on the committee strongly opposed this stance. “We are experiencing an utterly unserious clown show of a deposition,” remarked Representative Yassamin Ansari. Meanwhile, Representative Robert Garcia stated that Clinton had “zero knowledge of any misconduct.”

Clinton urged the committee to prioritize the release of documents and to call individuals more closely connected to the case. “You have made little effort to summon those most prominently mentioned in the Epstein files,” she asserted.

Simultaneously, Senate Democrats announced their intention to protect Justice Department records related to Epstein's files and to review unredacted materials. “Democrats will hold Pam Bondi and all those involved at the DOJ accountable for this cover-up,” stated Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer.

Epstein, a financier linked to political and business elites, pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges concerning the procurement of a minor for prostitution and later faced federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019. He died in a New York jail while awaiting trial.

This case has sparked years of legal scrutiny and public demand for transparency. Files released under a bipartisan transparency law have included photographs and mentions of notable figures, although being named does not imply wrongdoing.