Bill Clinton, in deposition, said he met Epstein through ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers

Former President Invoice Clinton prompt to members of the Home Oversight Committee that he first met the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein after being related by his former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, based on video launched Monday of final week’s closed-door depositions of the ex-president and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“He was calling as a result of a person named Jeffrey Epstein, who had made a considerable dedication of a number of million {dollars} … to mind analysis, and he was an info hungry particular person, and he needed to spend a while speaking to me about economics and politics,” Clinton mentioned, shedding mild for the primary time on the origin of his and Epstein’s relationship.  

“He mentioned he is received this huge airplane, and he mentioned he would take you, your workers, your Secret Service element, anyone else you needed to deliver on the journeys that he knew I used to be planning to arrange a worldwide community to offer lifesaving AIDS medication to as many individuals as potential, as shortly as potential,” Clinton mentioned.

The Republican-led committee questioned every of the Clintons individually final week of their hometown of Chappaqua, New York, as a part of an inquiry into the federal authorities’s dealing with of investigations into Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

The deposition of Invoice Clinton on Friday marked the primary time a former president was compelled to testify earlier than a congressional committee.

“Did you witness something uncommon with Epstein that may lead you to imagine that Epstein was creepy?” he was requested. 

“No, I by no means noticed him do something that I used to be suspicious,” Clinton responded.

Nonetheless, Clinton mentioned he discovered Epstein to be “odd.”

“I felt pleasant towards him, however he was, as I mentioned in my e-book, odd. There was at all times one thing a little bit holding again. And he, and I may inform,” Clinton mentioned. 

Whereas Clinton acknowledged {a photograph} displaying him and Epstein within the White Home in 1993, the previous president mentioned he didn’t keep in mind Epstein from the encounter, which he mentioned was a generic meet-and-greet with donors. 

“I first keep in mind assembly him once I received on his airplane to take the primary journey with my basis in, I feel 2002, no matter it was,” Clinton mentioned.

When requested about Epstein’s wealth, Clinton mentioned he believed he received most of his cash from retail billionaire Leslie Wexner, who was deposed by the committee final month. 

“I knew that he had made a unprecedented sum of money from Les Wexner who was fairly rich. I had no thought whether or not he had made sufficient to assist the approach to life that I noticed,” Clinton mentioned. 

Epstein’s planes

Flight logs from Epstein’s personal jets present that Invoice Clinton and his entourage took 4 worldwide journeys in 2002 and 2003 on the financier’s Boeing 727 to places together with Bangkok, Brunei, Rwanda, Russia, China and elsewhere, as a part of what Clinton has described as journeys for the Clinton Basis, the nonprofit humanitarian group he based after he left the presidency in 2001.

Clinton, in his deposition, acknowledged that Epstein was on many of the flights he took utilizing his aircraft, and claimed that his group spent more often than not onboard getting ready for the following cease, sleeping, and taking part in playing cards. 

Clinton mentioned he requested Epstein about why he was loaning his personal jet, and the disgraced financier claimed he needed to raised perceive Clinton’s success as Democratic politician. 

“He mentioned I feel you probably did a very good job as president and also you managed to get reelected and also you’re the primary Democrat in 60 years to get reelected. I need to know what occurred and I need to perceive it,” Clinton mentioned. “And that was it. I imply, he by no means was, you realize, it was by no means like he was attempting to suck as much as me or something. He simply was, it was very simple. And, however after some time it was apparent that he had completed what he meant to do, and he was form of going by means of the motions and he did not actually care about what I actually cared about.” 

Epstein’s birthday e-book

When requested concerning the observe that Invoice Clinton wrote for Jeffrey Epstein’s fiftieth birthday e-book, the previous president mentioned he was attempting to mirror his perception that Epstein was a curious and attention-grabbing particular person. 

“I assumed Epstein was attention-grabbing and curious. So, I wrote a letter that I assumed mirrored that,” Clinton mentioned.

“Are you able to elaborate on what made him attention-grabbing and curious?” Clinton was requested. 

“Not more than I’ve already mentioned,” he responded. 

The textual content of the Clinton’s letter, which was launched by the Home Oversight Committee, learn: ‘Jeffrey — Comfortable fiftieth — It is reassuring is not it, to have lasted as lengthy, throughout all of the years of studying and figuring out, adventures and [illegible], and likewise to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a distinction and the solace of associates — Invoice Clinton”

Clinton denied that the letter in any manner referenced “inappropriate actions” involving underage ladies. 

“I used to be requested to contribute a pleasant letter for his birthday e-book,” he mentioned. “Not a nasty letter.”

Requested, with the good thing about hindsight, if there have been belongings you witnessed that might have prompt that Epstein was trafficking and sexually abusing younger ladies and ladies, Clinton, after pausing for just a few seconds, replied, “I don’t imagine so.”

‘Why would Epstein say that?’

Throughout a heated trade with Rep. Nancy Mace, Invoice Clinton denied being keen on younger ladies — prompting Mace to make a seeming jab about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. 

Clinton was requested about Epstein allegedly telling a sufferer that the previous president “likes them younger,” based on a 2016 deposition. 

“Why would Epstein say that?” Mace requested. “Clinton likes them younger, referring to ladies.” 

“To start with, that is not true,” Clinton mentioned. 

“What’s not true? Mace requested. 

“That I’ve any curiosity in underage [girls]” Clinton mentioned.

“I did not say underage. I mentioned I mentioned younger,” Mace mentioned. 

“But it surely’s nonetheless not true,” Clinton mentioned. 

“Is an intern younger?” Mace requested. 

“Sure,” Clinton mentioned. 

Throughout one other tense trade, Rep. Lauren Boebert tried to press Clinton about how Epstein died. 

“I’d identical to to ask you personally and immediately, do you imagine that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself?” she requested earlier than an lawyer intervened.

“I do not know. I solely know what the medical discovering was,” Clinton mentioned. “He lastly received caught and — I do not know. I’ve accep- — I’ve accepted it in my very own thoughts. I do not know what occurred.” 

“Mr. President, what did you settle for, that he killed himself or that he didn’t?” she pressed. 

“That he did. However I do not know,” Clinton mentioned. “None of us know. We weren’t there.” 

‘I’m so uninterested in answering that query’

Hillary Clinton instructed the committee that she believed President Donald Trump ought to “completely” be deposed as a part of their inquiry. 

She mentioned that the variety of occasions Trump seems within the recordsdata and his previous interactions with the authorized system — together with his conviction in New York for falsifying enterprise data and civil circumstances with columnist E. Jean Caroll — makes him a key witness for the committee. 

“If I had been operating the committee, or I had been concerned on this investigation, I’d be searching for individuals who perhaps had some prior conduct that could be related to both cash or crimes. And sure, I feel that it will be consistent with the scope of the investigation of this committee to arrange a deposition with President Trump,” she mentioned. “I am not saying you are going to get a variety of info, however given what’s within the recordsdata, and given previous and prior conduct, he can be on my witness listing.”

Trump has denied any wrongdoing associated to Epstein. 

Clinton appeared pissed off with what she described because the committee’s repetitive questions.  

“You may have mentioned that you’ve got by no means been to Mr. Epstein’s island. Is that right?” she was requested. 

“I’m so uninterested in answering that query. When you’ve got one scintilla of proof on the contrary, put it ahead. I’ve by no means been on his island. Interval. I’ve by no means been in his houses, his workplaces, his something. I do not know what number of occasions it’s important to say the identical factor over and again and again. And I simply am fighting the relevance of all of this,” she mentioned. 

‘I am right here to supply what little I do know’

The previous president started his look by acknowledging that the Oversight Committee’s want to query him was justified whereas additionally distancing himself from Epstein. 

“By means of my transient acquaintance with Jeffrey Epstein, although it ended years earlier than his crimes got here to mild, and although I by no means witnessed throughout our restricted interactions any indication of what was occurring, I am right here to supply what little I do know so I can do my half to forestall one thing like this from occurring once more,” Invoice Clinton mentioned. 

“I feel you need to have referred to as me. I did take these aircraft journeys with him and you’ve got a proper to ask these questions,” he added.

He additionally criticized the Oversight Committee for subpoenaing and questioning Hillary Clinton, arguing she had nothing to do with Epstein. 

“I’ve to simply say one private factor. Since Hillary got here in yesterday, she had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing,” he mentioned.

Throughout her opening assertion Thursday, Hillary Clinton argued that the committee was trying to guard “one political celebration and one public official fairly than to hunt reality and justice for the victims.” 

“You may have made little effort to name the individuals who present up most prominently within the Epstein recordsdata. And once you did, not a single Republican member confirmed up for Les Wexner’s deposition,” she mentioned of the previous Epstein affiliate. “This institutional failure is designed to guard one political celebration and one public official fairly than to hunt reality and justice for the victims and survivors in addition to inform the general public who need to unravel this matter. ” 

“I do not know what number of occasions I needed to say I didn’t know Jeffrey Epstein. I by no means went to his island. I by no means went to his houses, I by no means went to his workplaces. So it is on the file quite a few occasions,” Hillary Clinton instructed reporters after her closed-door session with the committee concluded Thursday.

In ready opening remarks Clinton denied any data of the crimes dedicated by Epstein, occurring to say making his spouse Hillary Clinton testify “was merely not proper.”

In his assertion as launched, he acknowledged that he would typically say, “I don’t recall” all through his questioning as a result of the occasions had been “all a very long time in the past.”

“I noticed nothing, and I did nothing incorrect,” Clinton mentioned, based on the assertion.

Neither Invoice Clinton nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing and each deny having any data of Epstein’s crimes.

No Epstein survivor or affiliate has ever made a public allegation of wrongdoing or inappropriate habits by the previous president or his spouse in connection together with his prior relationship with Epstein.

Invoice Clinton mentioned in his opening assertion that he had “no thought of the crimes Epstein was committing.”

The Clintons had been subpoenaed to look below oath in entrance of the committee for a deposition in January, however did not comply, arguing the subpoenas had been with out authorized benefit. Somewhat, they proposed a four-hour transcribed interview as a substitute.

Following the Clintons’ refusal to look, the Oversight Committee handed the contempt decision with 9 Democrats voting in favor of it, teeing it up for a full Home vote.

On the final minute, simply earlier than the decision was to be voted on within the Home, the Clintons agreed to take a seat for a deposition, suspending additional consideration of a contempt vote.

This can be a growing story and will probably be up to date.

ABC Information’ Sasha Pezenik, Laura Romero, Armando Garcia, Nathan Lee and Jeff Prepare dinner contributed to this report.