Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have reached an agreement with House Republicans to testify later this month in the House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, avoiding a potential contempt of Congress vote.
Under the deal, Hillary Clinton is set to appear before the House Oversight Committee on February 26, followed by Bill Clinton on February 27. It would mark the first time a former president has been compelled to testify before Congress.
The agreement took shape Monday evening as Representative James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, moved toward criminal contempt proceedings against both Clintons over subpoenas issued in August.
“We look forward to now questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors,” Comer said in a statement Tuesday.
Why It Matters
There have been bipartisan calls for additional transparency around Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Lawmakers have released large sets of documents tied to Epstein and continued to scrutinize how the case was handled.
Last week, the Republican-led committee approved contempt resolutions targeting Bill Clinton by a 34–8 vote. A separate vote on Hillary Clinton passed 28–15 on Wednesday, after both did not appear for subpoenaed depositions.
The Clintons have criticized Comer for pursuing their testimony while the Justice Department missed a congressionally mandated deadline to release its full cache of Epstein-related files, arguing the demands were politically motivated. The committee has said their depositions are necessary to comply with the subpoenas.
What To Know
Angel Ureña, a spokesman for the Clintons, signaled on X Monday that the pair “will be there.”
Their attorneys also sent Comer a letter confirming both would appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates. In the letter, the attorneys wrote: “Please be advised, and please advise the Chairman, that my clients accept the terms of your letter and will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates. As has been the Committee’s practice, please confirm the House will not move forward with contempt proceedings, as the Chairman stated in his letter this morning.”
Comer had previously declined an alternative proposal from the Clintons’ legal team—an option in which Bill Clinton would participate in a transcribed interview and Hillary Clinton would submit a sworn declaration—insisting instead that both provide sworn depositions as required by the subpoenas. A committee letter indicated the Clintons had offered a four-hour transcribed interview for Bill Clinton focused on Epstein-related investigations and prosecutions, with Hillary Clinton providing a sworn declaration.
Bill Clinton’s past association with Epstein has drawn renewed attention from Republicans pressing for accountability connected to the late financier. Clinton, like several other prominent figures, had a documented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s, though he has not been accused of wrongdoing in his interactions with him.
The Republican-controlled Oversight panel advanced criminal contempt steps last month, with nine of the committee’s 21 Democrats joining Republicans in backing charges against Bill Clinton in the name of transparency. Three Democrats also supported advancing charges against Hillary Clinton.
