Former President Bill Clinton refused to testify before the House Oversight Committee on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, prompting Republicans to pursue a contempt charge. The bipartisan subpoena aimed to question Clinton without accusing him of wrongdoing. Hillary Clinton is also expected to skip her scheduled appearance.
On Tuesday, January 13, former President Bill Clinton did not appear for a subpoenaed closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee regarding his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The committee, led by Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, had unanimously approved the subpoenas for both Bill and Hillary Clinton in a bipartisan vote.
Comer announced that the committee will move next week to hold Clinton in contempt of Congress. "As a result of Bill Clinton not showing up for his lawful subpoena, which again was voted unanimously by the committee in a bipartisan manner, we will move next week in the House Oversight Committee markup to hold former President Clinton in contempt of Congress," Comer stated. He emphasized, "No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing. We just have questions."
Hillary Clinton's testimony is set for Wednesday, January 14, but a letter from the Clintons' attorneys indicates she will also decline to comply. The letter, cited by The New York Times, reads: "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. For us, now is that time." It argues that the Clintons have already shared limited information on Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and that the subpoenas are "invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose."
The hearings were originally scheduled for mid-December but postponed to January 13 and 14 to accommodate a funeral. The Clintons' lawyer had requested to submit a written statement instead, but Comer denied this in November.
Bill Clinton's past ties to Epstein have resurfaced amid Department of Justice releases of files and photos from Epstein's estate, including images of Clinton with Maxwell in a pool and in a hot tub with a redacted woman. Clinton flew on Epstein's private jet multiple times and was photographed receiving a massage from an Epstein accuser, though no wrongdoing is alleged. Clinton's chief of staff, Angel Ureña, responded: "[Clinton] knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light."
President Donald Trump, a former Epstein associate, has accused Clinton of visiting Epstein's island—a claim Clinton denies—and commented on the photos' release: "I think Bill Clinton’s a big boy, he can handle it." There is no evidence Hillary Clinton traveled with Epstein.
