Bill Clinton releases statement over Epstein Files saying he 'knows what he saw'

Bill Clinton has claimed he 'had no idea of the crimes [Jeffrey] Epstein was committing' in a new statement.

The former president is currently facing questions from US lawmakers over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after his name and image appeared in files released by the Justice Department.

Although the testimony is taking place behind closed doors, the 79-year-old has shared his opening statement to the house, claiming 'I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong'.

Clinton shared the full statement on his X account, saying: "I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do.

"I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong."

The ex-president went on to reveal that he'd witnessed domestic violence growing up, before claiming he would've turned the disgraced financier in himself if he'd been aware of criminal wrongdoing.

"As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I have not flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing – I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals," he said.

"But even with 20/20 hindsight, I saw nothing that ever gave me pause. We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long. And by the time it came to light with his 2008 guilty plea, I had long stopped associating with him."

You can read the full statement below:

Why is Bill Clinton testifying over his links to Jeffrey Epstein?

The ex-president's name appears numerous times documents released by the US Justice Department - dubbed the 'Epstein files' - with the BBC reporting that Clinton had undertaken trips with Epstein while setting up a charitable foundation after his presidency.

Clinton claims the relationship ended in 2008, after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Being named in the Epstein files is not an indication of any criminal wrongdoing and Clinton has never been accused of a crime or formally investigated.

The former Democrat leader also hit out at the decision to make his wife Hillary testify, saying: "You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right."

Former Secretary of State Clinton gave her testimony yesterday, claiming that she had 'no idea' about Epstein's criminal activities.

"I had no idea about their criminal activities," she said of the sex offender and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

The statement added: "I do not recall ever encountering Mr Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that."