Chappaqua, 11 a.m. - A Former President Under Oath and the Long Shadow of Epstein

Chappaqua on this Friday is more than just a suburban appearance. In the performing arts center of the affluent community north of New York City, Bill Clinton sits behind closed doors answering questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. For the first time in American history, a former president is being compelled by a congressional subpoena to testify. That alone marks a turning point.

The appearance before the House Oversight Committee could extend far beyond Clinton himself. The question hanging in the air is whether a standard is being set that could one day reach Donald Trump as well. Trump’s own contacts with Epstein have been discussed for years. Notable in recent days has been his restraint. In an interview, he said it bothered him that Bill Clinton was being targeted. "It bothers me that someone is going after Bill Clinton. I actually like Bill Clinton," Trump said. An unusual tone after decades of political hostility.

Republicans on the committee are not slowing down. They have issued subpoenas to several individuals, mostly Democrats whose names appear in the document releases related to the Epstein case published by the Department of Justice. On Thursday, Hillary Clinton was questioned for hours. Video recordings are expected to be released soon. She too appeared in Chappaqua, in the same hall now occupied by her husband. She testified that her husband’s relationship with Epstein had "ended several years before anything about Epstein’s criminal activities became known."

James Comer, the committee chairman from Kentucky, told reporters that the panel would continue to subpoena and question "some of the most powerful people in the world." No one is currently being accused of wrongdoing, he said, but the American public has many questions. The committee sees itself as obligated to provide answers.

Bill Clinton denies any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. He says he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. It is undisputed that he traveled about half a dozen times on Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and 2003. He appears in photos released by Congress and the Department of Justice, including one that shows him in a bubbling pool with a woman whose face is redacted. Clinton is mentioned tens of thousands of times in the released document collection. There is no direct correspondence between him and Epstein in those materials. His staff maintain that he ended the relationship years before the federal indictment in 2019.

Epstein himself pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to two counts of soliciting prostitution, including one involving a minor. In 2019 he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges and died later that same year in custody. His death was ruled a suicide. Judges and lawmakers have stated that he abused, trafficked, and exploited numerous girls over decades. Many victims have testified in court and publicly.

Comer announced that the Clintons would be asked, among other things, how Epstein acquired his wealth, how he managed to surround himself with some of the most powerful men in the world, and whether he may have been working for the American government or another government. Hillary Clinton sharply criticized that line of inquiry. Under oath, she said, she had been asked about UFOs and about the baseless theory of a child trafficking ring of high ranking Democrats in a Washington pizzeria. She described her appearance as political theater and publicly questioned why the Republican led panel had insisted on questioning her. "I don’t know how many times I had to say that I did not know Jeffrey Epstein," she said after her testimony. "I was never on his island. I was never in his homes. I was never in his offices." Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, had claimed for herself a central role in the founding of the Clinton Global Initiative, the annual Clinton Foundation meeting that began in 2005. The Clinton Foundation stated that it received only a 25,000 dollar donation in 2006 from a foundation connected to Epstein.

The impact extends into earlier administrations. Larry Summers, once Treasury Secretary under Clinton, announced that he would step down from his academic positions at Harvard University at the end of the academic year. The reason is extensive correspondence between him and Epstein that appeared in the records. Summers said last fall that he deeply regretted his behavior and the pain it caused.

The Clintons had initially refused to comply with the subpoenas. They described them as legally unenforceable. Only shortly before the House of Representatives was prepared to initiate proceedings for criminal contempt of Congress did they relent. They then asked to testify publicly. The committee declined and opted for closed door questioning.

Now Bill Clinton has submitted his prepared statement and chosen clear language. His brief acquaintance with Jeffrey Epstein, he told the House Oversight Committee, had ended years before Epstein’s crimes came to light. He said he saw nothing, did nothing wrong, and observed nothing that should have raised suspicion. That sentence stands at the center of his statement: "I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong. I saw nothing that ever should have raised suspicion." He added that he is here today to "contribute what little I know so that something like this never happens again." And he added that the girls and women whose lives Jeffrey Epstein destroyed deserve not only justice but also healing.

Clinton emphasizes that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Even in hindsight, he sees nothing that should have given him reason to doubt. His relationship with Epstein was limited and had ended long before the 2008 guilty plea in Florida became public. By the time Epstein’s crimes were known, Clinton says, he had long since ended all contact.

At the same time, he frames his testimony as a matter of personal responsibility. He is under oath, will not speculate, and will not offer conjecture. He will answer questions to the extent of his knowledge. He is not here to indulge speculation but to stick to the facts as he knows them. This statement defines the line Clinton is taking: distance from Epstein, no knowledge of his actions, no personal wrongdoing. Whether that account convinces the committee will only become clear after the video and transcript are released. What is already clear is that with this testimony Clinton is attempting to draw a final line under his connection to Epstein and to clearly reject responsibility for what occurred.

Clinton acknowledges that some may find his answers unsatisfying when he responds to questions with "I do not recall." But he says he will not say anything he is not certain about. It helps no one if he tries to play detective 24 years later. He becomes more personal as well. As someone who grew up in an environment marked by domestic violence, he says he would never have supported Epstein had he had even the slightest idea of his actions. He would not have boarded his plane but would have reported him and demanded justice, not lenient agreements. The fact that everyone is here today, he says, is solely because Epstein managed to conceal his crimes for years. Finally, Clinton defends his wife in sharp terms: Hillary Clinton had nothing to do with Epstein, never met him, never traveled with him, never visited any of his properties. Her subpoena, he says, was simply wrong. And just as he stands under oath, every member of Congress owes the American public nothing less than truth and accuracy.

Now Bill Clinton sits in the hall of his hometown answering questions that extend far beyond his own person. This is about power, proximity, responsibility, and the question of how a convicted sex offender had access for years to political and social elites. What will come of this questioning remains to be seen. What is already clear is this: Congress has shifted a boundary, and the echo will be heard for a long time.