Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before a House committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, staving off an imminent vote on criminal contempt of Congress charges. The decision, announced on Monday, came just days before the Republican-led oversight panel was expected to seek contempt citations against the former president and former secretary of state.
The agreement ends a months-long standoff between the Clintons and Representative James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee. Comer had insisted on sworn depositions, rejecting previous offers from the Clintons for a transcribed interview and a written declaration. “The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas,” Comer said.
Angel Ureña, a spokesman for the Clintons, countered that the couple had negotiated in good faith and would now appear. “They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care,” Ureña wrote on social media. “They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.” The committee had advanced criminal contempt charges last month after the Clintons refused to testify, arguing the subpoenas were invalid and politically motivated.
The Clintons’ relationship with Epstein has drawn renewed scrutiny amid Republican efforts to investigate the late financier, who killed himself in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. Bill Clinton socialised with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s but has not been accused of wrongdoing. The House oversight committee subpoenaed both Clintons in August.
Separately, the Trump administration released more than three million files related to Epstein last Friday, including emails showing a closer-than-known relationship with Elon Musk. Democrats have accused the administration of a cover-up, claiming millions more pages are being withheld. Nine of the committee’s 21 Democrats joined Republicans in supporting contempt charges against Bill Clinton, while three backed charges against Hillary Clinton.
