On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee recommended that former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton be held in contempt for their refusal to testify before the Republican-led panel. This investigation centers on the Justice Department’s management of the inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein.
Chairman of the committee, Republican Rep. James Comer from Kentucky, emphasized that the decision was not made lightly. “Subpoenas are not mere suggestions,” he stated prior to the vote. “They carry the force of law and require compliance. Former President Clinton and Secretary Clinton were legally obligated to appear for depositions before this committee, yet they declined.”
In a notable bipartisan move, several Democrats joined Republicans in the recommendation to hold the Clintons in criminal contempt of Congress, advancing the measure to the full House for a vote on whether to formally find them in contempt and refer the matter to the Justice Department. Nine Democrats supported the resolution concerning Bill Clinton, while three backed the measure related to Hillary Clinton.
Comer expressed confidence that the full House would vote on the resolutions within two weeks, predicting substantial Democratic participation in the proceedings.
On Tuesday, Oversight Republicans criticized the Clintons’ legal team for what they described as an “untenable offer,” which proposed that the GOP chairman and the leading Democrat on the committee travel to New York to meet with Bill Clinton. This meeting would allow each lawmaker to bring two staff members and would not be recorded. Comer rejected this proposal.
A spokesperson for the Clintons countered, claiming the assertion regarding the meeting not being transcribed was inaccurate, stating that “interviews are on the record and under oath.”
The committee had previously subpoenaed the Clintons in August alongside former Justice Department officials from the administration of George W. Bush. So far, only Bill Barr, who served as attorney general under President Trump, has provided closed-door testimony, while the committee has received written statements from others.
Comer noted that the committee accepted statements from past officials who were not photographed with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, indicating there was no evidence linking them directly to the investigation.
When questioned about the possibility of subpoenaing former President Trump, Comer remarked that Trump has already addressed numerous inquiries from the media. He pointed out that no sitting president has ever testified under oath in an Oversight Committee hearing and added, “There’s nothing that I’ve seen that implicates President Trump.”
Photos of Bill Clinton have surfaced in Epstein-related documents released by the Justice Department, along with references to the current president. However, neither has been accused of any wrongdoing. Comer pointed to a “documented relationship” between the Clintons and Epstein, supported by various photographs, flight logs, wedding invitations, and other materials.
In a letter to the committee last week, the Clintons and their legal team accused Comer of attempting to undermine and penalize political opponents of Trump. Their attorneys pledged to challenge the subpoenas, labeling them “invalid and legally unenforceable” due to a lack of legitimate legislative purpose.
Last week, the Clintons submitted sworn declarations outlining their interactions with Epstein. Bill Clinton stated that Epstein had offered his private plane to the former president, his staff, and his Secret Service detail to support the work of the Clinton Foundation from 2002 to 2003. He denied ever visiting Epstein’s private island, where many of the financier’s alleged crimes took place, and asserted that he had not been in contact with Epstein for more than a decade prior to Epstein’s 2019 arrest.
Hillary Clinton, in her declaration, claimed she could not recall any encounters with Epstein or specific interactions with him, and also stated she never boarded his plane or visited his private island.
The Clintons mentioned they did not remember the circumstances of their meeting with convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell or their interactions with her, although they acknowledged she had been in a relationship with a mutual friend. They could not specify the timing of their last interaction with Maxwell, other than to say it was “many years ago.”
“To be clear, I had no idea of Mr. Epstein’s or Ms. Maxwell’s criminal activities,” their declarations stated.
Bill Clinton further added, “And, irrespective of any intent either may have ever had, I did not take any action to assist them in evading scrutiny.”
When Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia inquired whether demands for questions outside the Epstein investigation were a point of contention between the committee and the Clintons, Comer stated that all inquiries pertained to the Epstein files. When pressed further about limiting the discussion strictly to the Epstein matter, Comer agreed.
Walkinshaw noted that the Clintons’ legal team might have a different impression of the proceedings. Comer responded bluntly, asserting, “The Clinton lawyers are full of crap.”
Jonathan Shaub, a law professor at the University of Kentucky, commented that both Clintons have compelling arguments against being compelled to testify. He indicated that the potential decision to prosecute could place the Justice Department in a difficult position, particularly if Democrats maintain control of both Congress and the executive branch.
Shaub referenced past Justice Department opinions suggesting that former presidents may be immune from being compelled to testify before Congress. However, he noted that this argument would not extend to Hillary Clinton, who would require a justification for her testimony based on a specific legislative interest.
Comer stated that the committee seeks testimony from Hillary Clinton due to her insights from her tenure as Secretary of State regarding the federal government’s efforts to combat international sex trafficking rings, her direct knowledge of Maxwell, and her family’s connections to Epstein.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the leading Democrat on the Oversight Committee, echoed the desire for the former president to provide answers. “It can be true that we want to hear from the Clintons and that it’s important that we hear from them while also wanting to enforce our subpoena,” he said. “I think it can also be true that they have begun making efforts to respond to questions through declarations and to negotiate giving testimony.”
Garcia pointed out that Bill Clinton has called for the immediate and complete release of the Epstein files, criticizing the Justice Department’s limited disclosures to date. “Donald Trump is leading a White House cover-up of the Epstein files,” Garcia asserted. “It is shameful, illegal, and unconstitutional that the Department of Justice has released only 1% of the files. Where is the pressure to get [Attorney General] Pam Bondi to release the files?”
Comer acknowledged that Bondi, who is scheduled to testify before another House committee next month, had been working with the Justice Department to produce the necessary documents in compliance with the law, although he admitted the pace of progress was slower than desired.
Additionally, Comer announced that the committee has scheduled a deposition with Maxwell for February 9, revealing that her lawyers have indicated she plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment during the proceedings.
