Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to reporters outside her deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, revealing she had been questioned on topics ranging from Jeffrey Epstein to the outlandish "pizzagate" and UFO conspiracy theories.

"It then got at the end quite unusual because I started being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate. One of the most vile bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the internet," Clinton told reporters following the hearing.

The Pizzagate conspiracy theory spread rapidly during the 2016 presidential election, falsely alleging that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) had uncovered a paedophilia ring connected to members of the Democratic Party whilst investigating sex offender Anthony Weiner's emails. The theory has been thoroughly debunked.

Notably, the UFO questioning came just a week after President Trump instructed the Pentagon to declassify files relating to aliens, following remarks made by former President Barack Obama on a podcast.

Clinton also flatly denied any acquaintance with convicted sex offender Epstein, though she conceded she knew his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, describing her as an "acquaintance."

"I don't know Jeffrey Epstein. I knew Ghislaine [Maxwell] as an acquaintance," she stated, adding that her husband had travelled with Epstein on charitable trips.

Clinton further noted that Maxwell had attended their daughter's wedding as a plus-one to another guest. The former Secretary of State and presidential candidate expressed confidence that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal behaviour.

The former president, whose name has appeared in the Justice Department's investigative documents, is set to testify before the House oversight committee. Clinton has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has never faced criminal investigation.

Moreover, appearing in the files does not suggest criminal involvement.

"I am, and I think the chronology of the connection that he had with Epstein ended years, several years before anything about Epstein's criminal activities came to light, and that he was charged, and, sadly, given a sweetheart deal," Hillary said.

Epstein was found guilty of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute in 2008, serving 13 months behind bars. In 2015, details emerged about Epstein's "sweetheart deal," which enabled him to escape federal sex trafficking charges.

Clinton's deposition occurred in the couple's home town of Chappaqua, a normally peaceful community north of New York City. Friday's deposition will represent the first occasion a former president has been compelled to give evidence before Congress.

Democrats have demanded Clinton's deposition be released publicly, urging Republicans, who control the oversight committee, to publish both video footage and a full transcript of the proceedings. Those demands were further highlighted on Thursday, when Colorado Republican, Rep. Lauren Boebert, transmitted a photograph of Hillary Clinton in the private proceeding to a conservative influencer, who subsequently shared it on social media.

The action reportedly halted the depositions temporarily, resulting in heightened tensions between the parties regarding the terms of the meeting.

Democrats have urged Congress to demand that President Trump, who has also repeatedly featured in the files but has denied any wrongdoing, give evidence in the case. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.

) stated that Bill Clinton's appearance establishes a precedent that should equally apply to Trump.

"Let's get President Trump in front of our committee to answer the questions that are being asked across this country from survivors," Garcia stated.

Nevertheless, the chairman of the Oversight committee, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky. ) indicated that Trump cannot be deposed because he's a sitting president.

The Epstein case has engulfed Washington in the past couple of months, with Democrats asserting that the Trump administration has mismanaged the case and shielded men in power who were formerly associated with Epstein, who perished in his prison cell by suicide in 2019 whilst awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

Earlier this week, Democrats invited Epstein survivors to a joint session of Congress where President Trump delivered the State of the Union. For example, Reps.

Jamie Raskin (D-Md. ) and Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) welcomed Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's most outspoken victims, whose testimony against former Prince Andrew triggered a cascade of accusations against him. Giuffre took her own life in April 2025.

"Today is monumental. Today we say to this administration and to the nation that survivors deserve to be seen," Amanda stated at the press conference hours before the address. "Don't look away from us. Do not look away from Virginia and do not leave survivors behind once again."