Bill and Hillary Clinton have refused to comply with a subpoena from the Republican-led House oversight committee demanding testimony about their ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In a letter to committee chair James Comer, their attorneys called the subpoenas 'invalid and legally unenforceable' and accused Republicans of using the inquiry to embarrass political rivals at the direction of President Donald Trump.
The subpoenas, issued in August, sought testimony from the former president and first lady as part of the committee's review of the government's handling of Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial. Comer, who chairs the committee, said he would move to hold Bill Clinton in contempt after he failed to appear for testimony by Tuesday's deadline.
Comer noted that the subpoena was approved on a bipartisan basis, with Democrats voting alongside Republicans. 'No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of anything,' Comer said. 'We just have questions.' Clinton was known to be friendly with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges including solicitation of a minor. The former president has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, and survivors have not accused him of wrongdoing.
In their letter, the Clintons criticised the committee's investigation as lacking legislative purpose and infringing on the separation of powers. They argued that the panel has interviewed only two people—former labor secretary Alexander Acosta and former attorney general William Barr—while declining to question seven other former top officials who were issued subpoenas. They also attacked Republicans' broader agenda, including immigration enforcement and pardons for January 6 participants.
The controversy over the Epstein case intensified last July when the justice department released a memo closing the matter, contradicting conspiracy theories promoted by Trump. In response, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers forced a vote on legislation to release all Epstein-related files, which passed in November. The justice department has been releasing batches of files, including photographs showing Bill Clinton with Epstein.
