E-Paper
'Legally invalid': Clintons defy house subpoena in Epstein probe, face contempt threat
Clintons accused Comer of allowing other former officials to submit written statements about Epstein while selectively enforcing subpoenas against them.
Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday they will not comply with a congressional subpoena to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
This comes even as Republicans prepare possible contempt of Congress proceedings against them.
In a letter released on social media, the Clintons called the House Oversight Committee probe “legally invalid” and said the process being pursued by committee chair James Comer was “literally designed to result in our imprisonment", according to a report by the Associated Press.
“We will forcefully defend ourselves,” Clintons wrote.
They accused Comer of allowing other former officials to submit written statements about Epstein while selectively enforcing subpoenas against them.
Also Read | Bill Clinton hot tub row: Ex-prez reacts to new Epstein photos; ‘cut him off before crimes’
What is the political fight over Epstein files?
The standoff adds a new layer to the political fight over Epstein and raises fresh questions about Congress’s power to compel testimony.
It also comes as Republicans criticize the Justice Department for delaying the release of Epstein-related files despite bipartisan pressure.
Comer said he would begin contempt of Congress proceedings next week, a rarely used and politically fraught process that could ultimately involve the Justice Department.
“No one’s accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” Comer told reporters after Bill Clinton did not appear for a scheduled deposition on Tuesday. He added, “Anyone would admit they spent a lot of time together.”
What are the accusations?
Bill Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, though the two had a well-documented friendship in the 1990s and early 2000s. Republicans have focused on that relationship as they push for a fuller accounting of Epstein’s crimes.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and later killed himself in a New York jail while awaiting trial.
No former US president has ever been compelled to testify before Congress, though several have done so voluntarily.
That precedent was cited by President Donald Trump in 2022 when he faced a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The committee later withdrew that subpoena.
Comer said the Oversight Committee would not seek to compel testimony from Trump about Epstein, noting that a sitting president cannot be forced to testify.
Trump, who was also friends with Epstein, has said he cut off the relationship before Epstein was accused of sexual abuse.
The Justice Department has also not fully complied with the committee’s subpoena for its Epstein files.
Justice Department officials have said the file release has been slowed by redactions needed to protect victims’ identities.
