Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein probe as contempt of Congress vote looms
Washington: Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even as House Republicans continue to push contempt of Congress proceedings against them.
House Oversight Committee chair James Comer said the agreement was still not finalised, despite attorneys for the Clintons informing the panel late Monday that both would comply with the subpoenas and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates”. The lawyers also urged Comer not to proceed with contempt charges.
Comer, however, said the committee had not received a formal written agreement and was not immediately withdrawing the contempt resolutions. “We don't have anything in writing,” he told reporters, adding he remained open to the offer but that “it depends on what they say.”
The development came as Republican leaders moved the contempt resolutions through the House Rules Committee, clearing the way for a potential vote in the full House. If approved and prosecuted, the charges could carry fines and possible jail time, marking an unprecedented moment in congressional history involving a former president.
Earlier, Comer had rejected a proposal allowing Bill Clinton to participate in a transcribed interview while Hillary Clinton submitted a sworn statement, insisting instead that both appear for sworn depositions. “The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas,” Comer said.
The Oversight Committee issued subpoenas to the Clintons in August as part of its investigation into Epstein and his associates. The former president and former secretary of state had resisted the subpoenas for months, with their attorneys questioning their validity.
As contempt proceedings advanced, negotiations resumed. The Republican-led committee approved contempt charges last month, with several Democrats joining Republicans in supporting action against Bill Clinton, citing the need for transparency. However, fewer Democrats backed advancing charges against Hillary Clinton.
Republicans have renewed scrutiny of Bill Clinton’s past association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges. Clinton has acknowledged his association with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s but has not been accused of wrongdoing.
The Clintons criticised Comer’s handling of the investigation, accusing him of politicising the probe while failing to press the Trump administration over delays in releasing Epstein-related Justice Department files.
“They negotiated in good faith. You did not,” Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña said. “They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party had not yet taken a position on the contempt resolutions but made clear his opposition. “They don’t want a serious interview, they want a charade,” Jeffries said.
AP