'I did nothing wrong': Bill Clinton denies wrongdoing at grilling on Epstein files

Former United States president Bill Clinton on Friday denied any wrongdoing while testifying to a congressional panel probing his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Clinton, who features prominently in the Epstein files has insisted that he broke ties well before the disgraced billionaire's 2008 conviction for sex offences.

Clinton shared a video message on his deposition on X and said, "I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong."

"The reason I was there is that the girls and women whose lives Jeffrey Epstein destroyed deserve not just justice, but healing. They've been waiting too long for both. Though my brief acquaintance with Epstein ended years before his crimes came to light. And though I never witnessed during our limited interactions any indication of what was truly going on," Clinton said on agreeing to testify before the probe panel.

As per news agency AFP, James Comer, the Republican chair of the House committee probing Epstein, termed the deposition "very productive". "President Clinton answered every question, or attempted to answer every question," he said.

Comer's Republican colleague Nancy Mace alleged there were "inconsistencies" in his testimony without providing specific examples.

In his statement, Clinton did not name Donald Trump directly but said "no person is above the law, even presidents, especially presidents."

"No matter how many photos they show of me. I have two things that at the end of the day matter far more than any interpretation of 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw and more importantly what I didn't see. And I know what I did, and more importantly what I didn't do," he added.

Clinton flew on Epstein's plane several times in the early 2000s after he left office and before Epstein's 2008 conviction of soliciting prostitution from a ​minor. A tranche of millions of documents ⁠released by the Justice Department includes photos of Clinton with women whose faces are redacted.

"I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong," Clinton said. His testimony follows that of his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told the panel on Thursday that she did not remember ever meeting Epstein and ⁠had nothing to share about ‌his sex crimes.

She said she was also asked about UFOs and a 2016-era conspiracy theory during the seven-hour session.

(With Reuters inputs)