- Hillary Clinton denied knowing about Epstein's or Maxwell's crimes during her deposition
- She accused Republicans of shifting focus from Trump's ties to Epstein in the investigation
- Clintons initially refused to testify but complied after threats of contempt of Congress
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told US House lawmakers that she did not know of late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein or his ex-associate Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes on the first day of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton.
"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 2016 Democratic presidential nominee accused the Republican-led panel of trying to shift the focus away from US President Donald Trump's ties to Epstein.
"If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files," Clinton said in the statement.
Initially the Clintons refused to testify before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, but relented when lawmakers moved to hold them in contempt of Congress.
Hillary Clinton was due to deliver a closed-door deposition to the committee in Chappaqua, New York, near their main residence. Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify at the same time on Friday.
Before the hearing, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, denied that the probe was a partisan effort targeting Trump's 2016 presidential rival, noting that several Democrats had pushed for the Clintons to testify.
"No one is accusing at this moment the Clintons of any wrongdoing," Comer said.
He said the committee would seek to find out about any interactions she might have had with Epstein, his involvement with the Clintons' charitable work, and any relationship she may have had with jailed Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Hillary Clinton's ties to Epstein are unclear.
Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's plane several times in the early 2000s after he left office. He has denied wrongdoing and expressed regret for his association.
According to Comer, Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Clinton was in office.
Democrats are also coming off an effort this week to confront Trump about his administration's handling of the Epstein files by taking women who survived Epstein's abuse as their guests to Trump's State of the Union address. Even senior Democrats, such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, said it was appropriate for the committee to interview anyone, including the former president, who was connected to Epstein.
"We want to hear from everyone," Pelosi said, adding that she did not see why Hillary Clinton was being interviewed and that it was important to "believe survivors."
(With inputs from agencies)
