President Donald Trump said he "still likes" Bill Clinton as congressional investigators prepare to depose both Clintons over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The remarks, delivered in an interview with NBC News, come days before the House Oversight Committee's scheduled sessions with Hillary Clinton on Feb. 26, 2026, and Bill Clinton on Feb. 27, 2026.
"It bothers me that somebody is going after Bill Clinton," Trump told NBC. "See, I like Bill Clinton. I still like Bill." Trump, 79, framed the looming depositions as an unfair spectacle, adding it was "a shame" to have "an ex-president" and "the president's wife and secretary of state" pulled into "the Epstein thing."
Trump's comments were personal as well as political. "I liked his behaviour toward me," he said of Clinton. "I thought he got me. He understood me." Trump also repeated a claim from the 2016 campaign trail, saying Clinton warned Democrats not to run against him and that Hillary Clinton "laughed" at the advice.
The depositions are being conducted by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by James Comer. Comer has said the inquiry is about "transparency and accountability" for survivors and insisted that "no one is above the law."
In announcing the sessions, the committee said the Clintons agreed to appear for "transcribed, filmed depositions," while accusing them of "delaying and defying duly issued subpoenas for six months." The statement lays out a procedural timeline that includes subpoenas approved on July 23, 2025, issued on Aug. 5, 2025, and missed or declined dates in December 2025 and January 2026. On Jan. 21, 2026, the committee said members voted to recommend contempt-of-Congress findings against those who defied subpoenas.
Trump's sympathetic tone contrasted with that posture. A White House response sought to recast the comments as statesmanship. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the president "has respect for the former president" and that they "shared a good relationship." The administration has also pointed to social ties, noting that the Clintons attended Trump and Melania Trump's wedding in 2005.
The timing has sharpened scrutiny. The Epstein-related investigation has already produced voluminous records and a widening circle of high-profile names, raising stakes for figures across parties. Trump's remark that it "bothers" him to see Clinton pursued landed as the inquiry nears its most visible phase, with cameras rolling and transcripts promised.
Comer's committee has emphasized process and compliance. Its statement argues that only after the House moved toward contempt did "the Clintons completely caved." The panel has framed the depositions as necessary to resolve outstanding questions tied to Epstein and Maxwell, not as judgments of guilt.
