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James FitzGeraldand Nada Tawfik ,North America correspondent, in Chappaqua, New York Hillary Clinton told a congressional panel she "had no idea" about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, as she called for lawmakers to question President Donald Trump under oath about his past association with the late sex offender.

"I want to see the truth come out," the ex-US secretary of state said after testifying behind closed doors for hours to a congressional committee investigating Epstein.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will testify on Friday.

The couple resisted the panel's subpoena, dismissing it as politically motivated, before agreeing to testify as potential contempt-of-Congress proceedings loomed against them.

The Clintons and Trump deny wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

After spending six hours on Thursday speaking to House Oversight Committee members, Clinton told reporters she was "disappointed" that the testimony was not made public, "so I wouldn't have to be out here characterising it for you".

She also commended Chairman James Comer for raising a series of significant questions about the nature of the investigation and for hearing her out about the areas she thinks need to be explored.

I want to see the truth come out, so that was a reassuring way to end a very long, repetitive deposition," she said of Comer.

Clinton also said she criticised the Republican members of the committee for not asking any other person they deposed about Epstein or his convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Bill Clinton has said he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes, and that he cut off ties with him two decades ago.

He said their contact arose in connection with his charity work after he left the presidency, and he has voiced regret that he was ever associated with the financier, who died in a New York City jail in 2019.

Hillary Clinton released a copy of her opening statement on X ahead of Thursday's hearing in Chappaqua, New York, near the Clinton home.

"I had no idea about their criminal activities," Clinton said of Epstein and 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. "

She also pressed the House committee in her statement to summon Trump for questioning directly under oath about his name repeatedly showing up in the Epstein files.

The Clintons' names repeatedly crop up in the files.

There is no suggestion that appearing in the millions of justice department documents relating to the late sex offender implies any wrongdoing.

Hillary Clinton's testimony on Thursday was abruptly paused due to a photo leak from inside the closed-door session with US lawmakers.

Democrats on the committee said the release of a photo - taken by Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert - was "completely against the rules".

Boebert said she sent a photo of Clinton from inside the deposition room to a conservative influencer.

She told the BBC that it was taken prior to the start of the deposition.

Clinton later said Boebert's actions led her team to pause the hearing to ensure that lawmakers would not violate other rules.

During a mid-deposition update, Democrats on the committee strongly defended the former secretary of state to media gathered outside.

The lawmakers did not reveal what questions Clinton had been asked so far, instead suggesting that the proceedings had been a waste of time with nothing new learned.

Several media members shouted questions about the atmosphere inside the room, but the top Democrat on the committee, Congressman Robert Garcia, was reluctant to go into detail.

He said he wants the public to have access to the full, unedited transcript of Hillary Clinton's testimony within 24 hours.

He also demanded that Trump testify to the committee - "and that needs to happen right now".

Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, called Thursday's proceedings a very "unserious clown show" and accused Republicans of being more concerned with getting photos of Hillary Clinton than "actually getting to the truth and holding anyone accountable".

In an interview with the BBC last week in Berlin, Germany, Hillary Clinton said of her forthcoming Epstein testimony: "We have nothing to hide.

"We have called for the full release of these files repeatedly.

We think sunlight is the best disinfectant. "

She maintained that she never met Epstein, but did meet Maxwell "on a few occasions".

Maxwell attended the wedding of the couple's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, in 2010 in New York.

The couple's announcement in recent weeks that they would provide testimony marked a reversal of their defiant position and came as a potential contempt vote loomed in the House.

Some Democratic members of the committee voted in favour of initiating contempt proceedings.

The Clintons have previously accused Comer of "partisan politics" in his handling of the investigation.

They described the legal summonses as "nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed".

They insisted they had already provided all the "limited information" they had on Epstein in previously submitted sworn statements.

A spokesperson for Bill Clinton said they would testify and "look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone".

For his part, Comer said the effort to secure a deposition from both of the Clintons was a bipartisan move to show that "no-one is above the law".

Speaking after Hillary Clinton's deposition on Thursday, Comer said it was a "shame" it took seven months to set up, but that Clinton answered most of their questions.

While a lot of questions were asked, Comer said, there were some answers committee members were not satisfied with.

"I don't think it's any type of being unfair in any way to the Clintons," Comer previously said.

"They've never answered questions, unlike President Trump who gets questioned every day by just about every one of you about his knowledge or involvement with Epstein. "

Such depositions normally occur behind closed doors, though the Clintons fought for their own testimony to be public so that selective portions of their evidence could not be leaked to the media.

Both Democratic and Republican members of the committee were expected to address reporters after Hillary Clinton's deposition.

The highly anticipated appearance by Bill Clinton on Friday will be the first time a former US president has testified to a congressional panel since Gerald Ford did so in 1983

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