According to the New York Post, a recently surfaced photograph of Bill Clinton relaxing in a luxurious hot tub has drawn renewed attention. The image, part of the Epstein files, was captured during a 2002 trip to Asia with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
This photograph was initially revealed in December within a set of documents released by the Department of Justice related to Epstein. It has regained the spotlight as Clinton spent over six hours under oath this week, answering questions from the House Oversight Committee about his connections to the convicted sex offender.
In a public opening statement before his closed-door deposition, Clinton asserted, “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.” He emphasized that he had ceased associating with Epstein well before the financier’s 2008 guilty plea.
The hot tub photo, which portrays Clinton reclining with his arms behind his head, features a woman’s face obscured by a black rectangle. This image has emerged as one of the most scrutinized pieces of evidence in the Epstein files.
During the deposition in Chappaqua, New York, legislators questioned Clinton about the photograph. The session attracted considerable media attention, with journalists gathered outside while Secret Service officers maintained security.
Court documents, including flight logs, confirm that Clinton traveled on Epstein’s private jet in May 2002, further fueling inquiries into their past association.
The records indicate the aircraft picked him up at a US naval air base in Japan on May 22, 2002, along with his longtime aide Doug Band and others, before stops in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China.
The group then landed in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, on May 25.
A photograph released in December by the Department of Justice shows Bill Clinton reclining in a hot tub beside a woman whose face was redacted
The photograph in which Ghislaine Maxwell can be seen, left, and Bill Clinton, center, was taken at the Empire Hotel in Brunei, where Clinton stayed in the Emperor Suite
The Emperor Suite includes a private pool and jacuzzi, as reflected in the photo set released in the Justice Department files
The hot tub photograph was taken at the Empire Hotel in Brunei, where Clinton stayed in the opulent Emperor Suite – a sprawling, ultra-luxury accommodation featuring its own elevator, pool, jacuzzi, steam room and theater, according to the Post.
The newly surfaced photographs include not only the hot tub image but also several other shots of Clinton swimming in a pool alongside Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021.
Being mentioned in the Justice Department files does not imply wrongdoing, and neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of a crime or formally investigated in connection with Epstein.
Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane multiple times in the early 2000s for work connected to the Clinton Foundation, but he has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct.
‘Not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing – I would have turned him in,’ Clinton said.
During his deposition on Friday, Clinton also appeared to criticize the process that compelled him and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to testify.
‘I hope that by being here today, we can bring ourselves just a little further from the brink, and back to being a country where we can disagree civilly and we can search for truth and justice, and it outweighs the partisan urge to score points and create spectacle,’ he said in a video statement posted afterward.
The Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, said, ‘we believe this was a very productive deposition that President Clinton answered every question – or attempted to answer every question.’
Additional images from the same release show Clinton in a pool alongside Ghislaine Maxwell and another redacted individual
The hot tub and pool appear to be part of the same luxury suite area based on the full set of images made public
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are seen at the White House as guests of then-President Bill Clinton in 1993
Clinton told Friday’s hearing stated that he had long stopped associating with Epstein by the time of Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea
Clinton is seen onboard Jeffrey Epstein’s plane in the 1990s
He has previously said the committee gathered evidence that Epstein visited the White House 17 times during Clinton’s presidency and that Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane 27 times.
Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican member of the committee, alleged there were ‘inconsistencies’ in Clinton’s testimony but did not provide specific examples.
Other GOP members described him as candid. ‘Clinton was quite candid, perhaps more candid than his attorneys were comfortable,’ said Rep. Nick Langworthy.
Democrats have countered that the probe should extend further.
In his opening statement on Friday, Clinton said, ‘I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong’
Hillary Clinton testified a day earlier and said lawmakers should ask Trump ‘directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files’
‘Let’s be real, we are talking to the wrong president,’ said Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, arguing that President Donald Trump should also testify.
Hillary Clinton echoed that sentiment a day earlier, saying lawmakers should ask Trump ‘directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.’
Trump, speaking to reporters, said he liked Clinton and ‘don’t like seeing him deposed,’ while continuing to question the broader investigation.
The Clintons have been contacted for comment.
