Clintons defy house subpoenas in Epstein inquiry as contempt threat looms |
Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have refused to comply with subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee, escalating a politically charged confrontation over congressional authority, executive accountability, and the enduring fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The decision, conveyed through an eight-page legal letter and a separate public statement, has prompted Committee Chair James Comer to threaten contempt proceedings, a move that could send the matter to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.
The subpoenas sought depositions from Bill Clinton on January 13 and Hillary Clinton on January 14 as part of the committee’s investigation into the federal government’s handling of the Epstein case and the disclosure of related records. The Clintons’ legal team rejected the demands outright, characterizing the subpoenas as “invalid and legally unenforceable” and asserting that the committee lacks a legitimate legislative purpose for compelling their testimony.
“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences,” the Clintons wrote in their joint statement, framing their refusal as a defense of constitutional norms rather than an attempt to evade scrutiny.
Chairman Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, responded sharply. During the scheduled deposition, he left an empty chair at the witness table to underscore Bill Clinton’s absence, calling the refusal “disappointing” and pledging a committee vote next week to hold the former president in contempt of Congress. “No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of anything, any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” Comer told reporters, emphasizing that the committee’s stated goal is fact-finding rather than prosecution.........