During a recent deposition related to Jeffrey Epstein, Hillary Clinton launched a fierce critique of Republican legislators after facing questions about the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory and UFOs.

“I cannot count how often I had to reiterate that I did not know Jeffrey Epstein, nor did I ever visit his island or any of his residences,” Clinton stated following her Thursday testimony.

She further expressed her disbelief, saying, “Towards the end, the questioning turned quite bizarre. I was asked about UFOs and then subjected to inquiries about ‘Pizzagate,’ a particularly vile and thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory that gained traction online.”

The “Pizzagate” conspiracy falsely alleged that a pedophile ring involving top Democratic officials was being operated from the basement of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria.

Clinton addressed the media after a private congressional hearing held at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, conveniently located near her and former President Bill Clinton’s residence in Westchester County, New York.

Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify at the same location on Friday, marking a historic moment as he becomes the first former president to be mandated to testify in a congressional inquiry.

The Clintons had initially resisted Republican-led efforts to force them to testify before agreeing under the threat of being held in contempt of Congress. 

The hearing was thrown into chaos just moments after it began when Republican lawmaker Lauren Broebert snapped a picture of the former secretary of state, in breach of confidentiality rules for the private session.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the press after her a deposition with the House Oversight Committee as they investigate links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in Chappaqua, New York, Thursday

Hillary Clinton’s Epstein testimony was halted after a photo was leaked to a MAGA influencer

Representative Lauren Bobert leaked a picture of Hillary during the testimony to MAGA conservative influencer Benny Johnson 

Clinton relaxes in a hot tub with a woman whose face has been redacted in an image from the Epstein files

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s infamous madam, attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, years after Epstein had been convicted of sexual abuse

Clinton’s lawyers asked that the proceedings be halted after the photograph began circulating on social media. 

The closed-door hearing was being filmed, but any footage must be reviewed by Clinton’s lawyers before release. The deposition resumed within an hour.

Clinton later asked James Comer, the top Republican overseeing the deposition, if the press could be allowed in the hearing after Boebert’s leak. Comer denied the request.

A Clinton spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s against chamber rules that were read at the top of the meeting. So the hearing has been paused briefly while they figure out where the photo came from and why, possibly, members of Congress are violating House rules .’

Prior to the chaos, Clinton blasted Republicans for targeting her while failing to investigate Donald Trump in a fiery opening statement where she provided no defense for her husband.

The former secretary of state said she has ‘no information on Epstein’s criminal activities and never recalls meetings’, then accused lawmakers of covering up for Trump’s relationship with Epstein, where he faces ‘heinous’ accusations from survivors.

‘You have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers,’ Hillary said.

‘If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files,’ she added.

Trump’s name appears more than 38,000 times in the millions of Epstein documents released by the Department of Justice in January.

Epstein, Bill Clinton and an unidentified man in a photo from the Epstein files

President Clinton and wife Hillary share a tender moment during an East Room ceremony at the White House in Washington, July 17, 1996

Hillary said: ‘If the majority were serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done. What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why the cover-up?’

Despite her denials of any Epstein relationship, Hillary received a $20,000 donation from the disgraced pedophile in 1999 when she was fundraising for the DNC.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s infamous madam, attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, years after Epstein had been convicted of sexual abuse.

Hillary previously admitted to meeting Maxwell on several occasions.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking – the only Epstein co-conspirator who has been jailed.

Meanwhile, Clinton is expected to face a grilling on Friday as the first former president compelled to testify in a congressional investigation.

His relationship with Epstein was extensive following the end of his presidency.

Flight logs for Epstein’s private jet indicate that the former president traveled on it for trips to the Virgin Islands, Portugal, Siberia, Japan, and China.

Clinton claims these trips were only ever related to his charitable work.

Photographs have also emerged from the Epstein files showing Clinton in a hot tub with a woman whose face was redacted. Another photo shows him swimming with Maxwell and an unidentified woman.

Epstein famously kept an oil painting of Clinton in a blue dress and red heels at his Manhattan mansion.

The Clintons initially resisted House Republicans’ subpoena to testify about Epstein but agreed to the deposition after being threatened with contempt charges.

Chairman James Comer would not allow the press to enter the Clinton deposition 

The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, where Hillary’s deposition is taking place today

The committee said it will release the deposition videos and transcripts after the lawyers for the Clintons have reviewed the content.

Lawmakers speaking ahead of the hearing were asked whether they planned to ask Hillary about an email in the Epstein files, which shows Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emailed the pedophile about Hillary’s 2016 presidential campaign.

‘It will be on my list,’ Republican Representative Nancy Mace told reporters.

In November 2015, Epstein’s assistant forwarded him an invitation from Lutnick to a ‘very intimate fundraising event’ at his financial firm for then-presidential candidate Hillary.

It is unclear whether Epstein attended the event. He made no donations to her campaign, according to filings from the Federal Elections Commission. Lutnick donated $2,700 to her campaign, the maximum allowed by law at that time.

Republicans, who hold the majority on the House Oversight Committee, drove the effort to bring the Clintons to testify as Trump faced pressure to release the Epstein files.

Democrat lawmakers are also attending the deposition, which forms part of a broader congressional effort to investigate the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case.

Epstein and Maxwell also appear to have played a key role in setting up the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative, according to the Epstein files.

Maxwell herself was deposed as part of the bipartisan congressional investigation into the Justice Department’s prosecution and handling of the Epstein case, during which she pleaded the Fifth Amendment to prevent self-incrimination.

Hillary said in a BBC interview last week that she and her husband are ‘more than happy to say what we know, which is very limited and totally unrelated to their behavior or their crimes’.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, noted earlier this week that ‘the Clintons’ testimony is critical to understanding Epstein and Maxwell’s sex trafficking network and the ways they sought to curry favor and influence to shield themselves from scrutiny.’

‘Their testimony may also inform how Congress can strengthen laws to better combat human trafficking. Our goal for this investigation is straightforward: we seek to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors,’ Comer added.

The Daily Mail has contacted the Clintons for comment.