WASHINGTON  –  Former US President Bill Clinton says he “saw nothing, I did nothing wrong,” in his opening statement to US lawmakers about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton says if he knew of Epstein’s crimes he would have “turned him in myself.”

The former president also criticises the committee for making his wife Hillary Clinton testify on Thursday, saying she had “nothing to do with” Epstein. In a six hour testimony, Hillary Clinton said she “had no idea” about Epstein’s crimes and called the session “partisan political theatre.”

Republicans say they will release video of Hillary Clinton’s testimony today  (Saturday). Images of the former president were published in the Epstein files, and he has previously said he took trips on Epstein’s plane. Clinton denies any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. And there is no suggestion that appearing in the Epstein documents implies wrongdoing. Bill Clinton, however, flew on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s after he left office, and a tranche of millions of documents released by the Justice Department includes photos of him with women whose faces are redacted. He has denied wrongdoing and expressed regret for his association.

The panel’s Republican chairman, Representative James Comer of Kentucky, says the Clintons are not accused of wrongdoing but must answer questions about Epstein’s involvement with their charitable foundation. 

Both Clintons accuse Republicans of conducting a partisan exercise designed to protect President Donald Trump from scrutiny, noting that others in the inquiry were allowed to submit written statements rather than testify in person. Democrats say the panel should also subpoena Trump, whose name appears frequently in the Epstein-related files. Trump socialized extensively with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s, before Epstein’s 2008 conviction of soliciting prostitution from a minor. Democrats are also accusing Trump’s Justice Department of withholding records of a woman who accused Trump for abusing her when she was a minor. The Justice Department has said it is looking at the material in question and will publish it if appropriate. The department has previously cautioned that the material it has released includes unfounded accusations and sensationalist claims about Trump, and authorities have not accused him of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.