WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told House lawmakers she did not have information on the past criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and never recalled meeting the now-deceased sex offender, according to remarks prepared as part of a congressional deposition Thursday in New York.

In an opening statement she shared on social media, the former Democratic senator also told lawmakers she had no information on the case against Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now serving a federal prison sentence.

“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices,” Clinton said.

Clinton began testifying Thursday before lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the congressional panel’s probe into Epstein, who died in custody in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.

The deposition comes after months of strained negotiations between Bill and Hillary Clinton and lawmakers after a panel subcommittee voted to subpoena the Clintons last year.

Former President Bill Clinton has appeared in photos with Epstein and was among the high-profile figures seen in images released by the Justice Department, as mandated under a bipartisan Epstein transparency law. The former president is scheduled to sit for a closed-door deposition Friday.

Hillary Clinton, according to the opening remarks, took swipes at Chairman James R. Comer’s handling of the investigation. The congressional probe is supposed to be looking at the government’s handling of the investigations of Epstein, she said.

But Comer has not held a single public hearing, and allowed five attorneys general to forgo a sit-down deposition, instead allowing them to submit statements saying they had no information to offer, she argued.

The panel could focus on the release of the full files, she said, or demand further testimony from those involved in the much-criticized 2008 non-prosecution agreement received by Epstein.

“You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican Member showed up for Les Wexner’s deposition,” she said, referencing the billionaire businessman who Democrats say was a longtime benefactor of Epstein’s.

Comer, R-Ky., dismissed criticism that the deposition push was simply a way to tar the reputations of a high-profile Democratic couple, when there are other individuals who knew more about Epstein’s conduct.

“This isn’t a partisan witchhunt,” Comer said ahead of the deposition. He noted that Democrats voted in favor of holding the Clintons in contempt of Congress after the couple did not appear for depositions on Capitol Hill.

The Democrats, he argued, have just as many questions for the Clintons as the Republicans.

Epstein law fallout

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on Thursday announced they would be taking steps to shed light on how the Justice Department handled Epstein files disclosure, including whether the department withheld information that might sully the reputation of President Donald Trump.

Trump, who had ties to Epstein and appeared in photos with him, has denied wrongdoing in connection to Epstein.

Democrats pointed to news reports that the Justice Department did not release certain materials related to a woman who made allegations against Trump and Epstein. The accusations are uncorroborated.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would be joining a letter to the Justice Department requesting the preservation of records related to the management of the Epstein files over the course of the Trump administration.

And Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said some members would review unredacted Epstein files in the upcoming days.

“Democrats are going to hold Pam Bondi and everyone involved at the DOJ accountable for this cover-up,” Schumer said.

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