Clintons Decline to Testify in House Epstein Probe Despite Contempt Threat

Bill and Hillary Clinton have refused to testify on Capitol Hill as part of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, despite the panel threatening to hold them in contempt of Congress.

In a series of letters obtained by CNN, the Clintons pushed back against the subpoenas issued by the committee, calling them invalid and legally unenforceable. The letters argue that the couple is being unfairly singled out, noting that several other subpoenaed in-person appearances related to the Epstein investigation have been waived.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the panel plans to meet next week to move forward with contempt proceedings against Bill Clinton, while leaving open the possibility that Hillary Clinton could still agree to testify. Comer emphasized that the subpoenas were approved unanimously by the committee in a bipartisan vote.

The move marks an escalation in the committee’s efforts to compel testimony from the former president and former secretary of state. If the House votes to hold either Clinton in criminal contempt of Congress, the matter would be referred to the Department of Justice, which would then decide whether to pursue prosecution.

The committee has said it wants to question Bill Clinton about his past interactions with Epstein, noting that Epstein visited the White House multiple times during Clinton’s presidency and that Clinton later traveled aboard Epstein’s private plane after leaving office. Comer has stated that no accusations of wrongdoing have been made against the Clintons, but says lawmakers believe questions remain unanswered.

Bill Clinton has never been accused by law enforcement of wrongdoing related to Epstein. A spokesperson has previously said Clinton cut ties with Epstein before his 2019 arrest and was unaware of his crimes.

The Epstein investigation has gained renewed attention following the release of thousands of documents by the Department of Justice, including previously unseen photographs showing Epstein with high-profile figures, including Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell. The locations and dates of several of the images remain unclear.

Democrats on the Oversight Committee have criticized the Republican-led probe, arguing it has focused more on political targets than on examining why Epstein was not stopped sooner and how similar failures could be prevented in the future.

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