Bill Clinton deposition: Former president testifying in Epstein probe: live updates

Former President Bill Clinton is testifying to the House Oversight Committee in a deposition as part of a congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Clinton's testimony on Friday marks the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress. The closed-door meeting is occurring at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in Westchester County, New York. 

RELATED: Hillary Clinton's Epstein deposition ends after hours of questioning

Democrats and Republicans are expected to question Clinton about his alleged ties to Epstein. The former president's deposition comes a day after his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, appeared before the panel for her own lengthy deposition in the Epstein probe.

Here are the latest updates from Friday's deposition.

Clinton uses his Epstein testimony for civics advice — and tweak Republicans

12:36 p.m. ET: Bill Clinton says in his prepared statement that "no person is above the law, even presidents." He agreed to testify, he adds, because, "I love my country," according to the Associated Press. 

Bill and Hillary Clinton initially pushed back against subpoenas they called a partisan stunt by Republicans. They yielded but demanded proceedings be opened. Republicans refused.

"The search for truth and justice," Clinton planned to tell lawmakers, is more important than "the partisan urge to score points and create spectacle."

He added a wish that political discourse be ratcheted down.

"Democracy requires every person to play their part, and I hope that by being her today, we can bring ourselves a little further away from the brink and back to being a country where we can disagree with one another civilly," he says, adding, "I’ll do my part, and I hope you’ll do yours."

Bill Clinton says lawmakers may hear ‘I don’t recall’ from him often

12:17 p.m. ET: Former President Bill Clinton says of his plans to answer some questions that he has no recollection, the Associated Press reported. "That might be unsatisfying. But I’m not going to say something I’m not sure of. This was all a long time ago."

Clinton adds that he is "bound by my oath not to speculate, or to guess" -- a standard he says "is not merely for my benefit but because it doesn’t help you for me to play detective 24 years later."

Elsewhere in his prepared opening remarks, Bill Clinton is more emphatic about his own actions.

"I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see," he says. "I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do."

Bill Clinton says he would have reported Epstein had he known of abuse

12:11 p.m. ET: Bill Clinton said in his prepared opening statement Friday that "As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing — I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals."

"We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long."

Bill Clinton chides Republicans for calling Hillary Clinton to testify

12:05 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that former President Bill Clinton says in his prepared opening remarks that his wife Hillary Clinton — the former secretary of state and first lady — should never have been ensnared by the committee.

"Before we start, I have to get personal," Bill Clinton says in his statement. "You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties."

He continues: "Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right."

And he tells lawmakers that, just as he’s bound in sworn testimony, "each and every one of you owes nothing less than truth and accuracy to the American people."

Bill Clinton opening statement says he saw no signs of Epstein abuse

12 p.m. ET: Former President Bill Clinton is telling the House Oversight Committee that his "brief acquaintance with Jeffrey Epstein ended years before his crimes came to light."

The Associated Press reported that this is according to a printed copy of his opening statement as it was prepared and released by Clinton’s office.

"I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong," Clinton says. "I saw nothing that ever gave me pause."

Clinton’s remarks state that he is testifying "to offer what little I know so that it might prevent anything like this from ever happening again" and because "the girls and women whose lives Jeffrey Epstein destroyed deserve not only justice, but healing."

Democrats renew calls for Trump to testify on Epstein

11:50 a.m. ET: "We’re going to ask President Clinton the hard questions today," said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va. "What is truth about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein? But let’s be real. We’re talking to the wrong president today."

The Associated Press reported that Democrats hope to leverage the Clintons’ appearances before House Oversight Committee. They’ve noted that files released so far imply that President Trump was more closely involved with Epstein than Clinton. And they want to emphasize that it’s the former president who is submitting to questions while the sitting president denies any involvement.

"President Trump is the one who is blocking our investigation. President Trump is the one who wants us to go away, but it will not go away," Subramanyam said.

Bill Clinton releases statement 

11:42 a.m. ET: Former President Bill Clinton released a statement Friday on X with a caption that read the following: 

"As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing—I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals."

Top Democrat on House Oversight says Bill Clinton should not invoke the Fifth Amendment

11:40 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, Rep. Robert Garcia said "I think it was telling that Secretary Clinton did not take the Fifth one time," Garcia told reporters, referring to the constitutional protection defendants and witnesses sometimes cite when declining to answer questions in legal proceedings.

Garcia continued: "I think it’s important the president (Bill Clinton) do the same. I think he will answer questions today."

Republicans, Democrats offer different accounts of Hillary Clinton testimony

11:30 a.m. ET: Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. described Hillary Clinton "screaming" during her deposition on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. 

"I hope that President Clinton is less unhinged than his wife was yesterday," Mace said Friday outside the building where the House Oversight panel is convening.

Democrats dismissed Mace’s description, which Rep. Robert Garcia said proves the need for Comer to release the "full, unedited" video. The Clintons had wanted to testify publicly but Comer insisted on the private sessions.

Garcia called the Republican questioning Thursday a "disgrace" focused on old "conspiracy theories." He praised Hillary Clinton for participating.

He reminded reporters Friday that Democrats still want the proceedings to be open "so that you can hear the answer and the questions directly."

Comer promises Bill Clinton updates, release of Hillary Clinton deposition video

10:30 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, Chairman James Comey says he’ll send Republican members of his House Oversight Committee out to update reporters as Clinton is being deposed.

Comey also promised to release video and transcripts of Hillary Clinton’s testimony. The Clintons wanted to testify in public, but the Republicans in control insisted on closed-door depositions. Democrats on the committee called for Comey to release the full video of the former secretary of state’s Thursday session.

The Clintons agreed to testify after their offers of sworn statements were rebuffed by the Oversight panel and its chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges against them.

Hillary Clinton deposition on Epstein

Dig deeper:

On Thursday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told members of Congress that she had no knowledge of Epstein’s or Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes.

"I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein," Hillary Clinton said in an opening statement she shared on social media. The closed-door deposition concluded after over six hours of questioning Thursday.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said that Hillary Clinton had answered every question posed to her.

Clinton also told reporters as she exited that she answered the same question again and again from lawmakers about whether she knew Epstein at all.

"I don’t know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein," Hillary said.

She also told reporters that her husband had ended his relationship with Epstein before Epstein’s sexual abuse came to light in 2008.

During her testimony, the former Secretary of State repeated demands that reporters be allowed into her deposition after Benny Johnson, a right-wing YouTuber, posted a photo of Clinton during the deposition online. 

Johnson said the photo was provided by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. When asked by reporters why she shared the image of Clinton, Boebert responded, "Why not?"