J. B. Pritzker is denying claims that he had any connection to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after comments made by Bill Clinton during a closed-door deposition drew renewed attention to the matter.

During questioning related to Epstein, Clinton was asked about individuals who had accompanied him on trips over the years. According to reports, the former president said that on one occasion, Pritzker and his wife traveled with him while he was conducting work connected to the Clinton Foundation.

Clinton described bringing along volunteers or supporters who wanted to see the foundation’s work firsthand. In his remarks, he referenced what he believed was an early trip involving the man who later became Illinois’s governor.

A representative for Clinton later clarified the statement, saying the former president had been offering examples of people who traveled with him in connection with foundation work and was not claiming that Pritzker had been on Epstein’s aircraft.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Pritzker rejected any suggestion that he had ties to Epstein.

“I have never met Jeffrey Epstein,” Pritzker said. “I was never on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane. I was never on any plane with Jeffrey Epstein or with Ghislaine Maxwell. Never met her.”

Pritzker also said he had not heard of Epstein until the financier’s crimes became widely known in 2019. Epstein previously pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution and later died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The governor characterized Clinton’s reference as a mistake that had already been corrected.

“President Clinton clearly was mistaken, and he corrected the mistake,” Pritzker said.

The controversy prompted criticism from the Illinois Republican Party, which argued that the allegations should be treated seriously as questions about Epstein’s network continue to surface. Available Epstein flight logs that have been released publicly so far do not include Pritzker’s name.