Former US President Bill Clinton began giving testimony on Friday about his ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted for sex-related offenses. He said he had “no idea” about the crimes committed by Epstein.
Clinton was called to testify by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is led by Republicans. They held the closed-door session in the state of New York.
US media outlets have reported that it is the first time that a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress.
Clinton’s wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, spoke to the panel on Thursday.
James Comer is the Republican lawmaker who chairs the committee. He told reporters ahead of the hearing that Clinton is included in many photos and emails released by the Justice Department. He added, “Epstein was in the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president.”
In a statement that Clinton posted prior to giving testimony, he said his ties to Epstein were brief and had stopped a long time before the crimes came to light.
The standoff between Republicans and Democrats is intensifying. Democratic lawmakers are demanding that President Donald Trump testify before the committee
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