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Trump Live Updates: Bill Clinton Says He 'Did Nothing Wrong' in House Epstein Inquiry - The New York Times

2/27/2026, 7:00:55 PM

A cluster of developments puts scrutiny on the Epstein files, sharpens uncertainty around U.S.-Iran tensions, and keeps Trump’s White House ballroom plan alive—for now. The Epstein-related House inquiry continues to widen, with Bill Clinton publicly defending himself and Rep. Mace signaling she will call Trump Commerce chief Howard Lutnick to testify, amid claims the DOJ is withholding Trump-related Epstein files. On foreign policy, Trump struck a conditional tone on Iran—saying he’d “love not to” attack but that “sometimes you have to”—as talks produced no deal and warnings of a “devastating war” hang over the standoff. Separately, courts have allowed Trump’s White House ballroom project to proceed for now, underscoring that multiple high-stakes storylines are moving simultaneously.

A cluster of developments puts scrutiny on the Epstein files, sharpens uncertainty around U.S.-Iran tensions, and keeps Trump’s White House ballroom plan alive—for now.

The Epstein-related House inquiry continues to widen, with Bill Clinton publicly defending himself and Rep. Mace signaling she will call Trump Commerce chief Howard Lutnick to testify, amid claims the DOJ is withholding Trump-related Epstein files. On foreign policy, Trump struck a conditional tone on Iran—saying he’d “love not to” attack but that “sometimes you have to”—as talks produced no deal and warnings of a “devastating war” hang over the standoff. Separately, courts have allowed Trump’s White House ballroom project to proceed for now, underscoring that multiple high-stakes storylines are moving simultaneously.

Key points

Bill Clinton said he “did nothing wrong” in the House Epstein inquiry. (The New York Times)
Rep. Mace said she will call Trump Commerce chief Howard Lutnick to testify in relation to Epstein files. (CNBC)
The BBC outlined accusations that the DOJ is withholding Trump-related Epstein files. (BBC)
Trump said he’d “love not to” attack Iran, “but sometimes you have to,” as U.S.-Iran talks led to no deal. (CNBC; Time)
A federal judge/court rulings allowed Trump’s $400M White House ballroom project to move forward—for now. (Fox Business; The Washington Post; NPR)
The New York Times reported Mamdani met again with Trump and emerged with “two unexpected victories,” though details are not provided in the headline. (The New York Times)

Why it matters

The Epstein inquiry is expanding in public view, with high-profile names and potential testimony adding pressure and increasing political stakes around what the government is—or isn’t—releasing.
Iran-related messaging is turning more conditional and potentially more confrontational at the same moment diplomacy is described as stalled, raising the premium on reading signals rather than outcomes.
Court permission for the ballroom project to proceed “for now” keeps a major Trump-linked initiative in motion while leaving room for further legal or political friction.

What to watch

Whether Rep. Mace formally moves to call Lutnick to testify, and how that intersects with broader claims about withheld Epstein materials. (CNBC; BBC)
Any shift from “no deal” U.S.-Iran talks toward renewed negotiations or escalatory steps, given the heightened war-risk framing. (Time; CNBC)
Next court milestones or challenges that could change the “for now” status of the White House ballroom project. (The Washington Post; NPR; Fox Business)

Briefing

The Epstein files are back at the center of U.S. political gravity, with multiple storylines converging around what gets disclosed, who gets questioned, and how far the House inquiry will reach.

In the latest turn, Bill Clinton publicly said he “did nothing wrong” in the House Epstein inquiry, according to The New York Times. The statement signals a posture of direct rebuttal rather than quiet distancing—suggesting investigators’ interest is not fading.

On Capitol Hill, CNBC reports Rep. Mace says she will call Trump Commerce chief Howard Lutnick to testify in connection with the Epstein files. Separately, the BBC describes the Trump-related Epstein files the DOJ is accused of withholding—an allegation that, if it remains unresolved, could become as politically consequential as whatever the documents contain.

Foreign policy is moving on a parallel track of ambiguity. Trump told CNBC he’d “love not to” attack Iran, “but sometimes you have to,” while Time reports U.S.-Iran talks led to no deal amid the risk of a “devastating war,” framing the moment as unsettled and high-stakes rather than trending toward closure.

Meanwhile, Trump’s White House ballroom project received a major procedural boost. Fox Business says a federal judge allowed the $400M project to move forward, while The Washington Post and NPR similarly report the project can continue—for now—language that keeps momentum but telegraphs that the legal story may not be finished.

The New York Times also reports Mamdani met again with Trump and emerged with “two unexpected victories.” The headline implies movement in Trump’s dealmaking orbit, but the specific wins are not clear from the RSS item alone.

Taken together, today’s headlines point to a familiar dynamic: scrutiny intensifying around disclosure and testimony in the Epstein matter, uncertainty deepening on Iran as rhetoric hardens without a diplomatic breakthrough, and domestic projects advancing under court protection—provisionally, and with the next fight still potentially ahead.

Sources