Clintons Agree To Testify In Epstein Probe As Contempt Vote Looms

Former United States President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, who is a former US Secretary of State, have agreed to testify before Congress in an investigation into the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

The decision comes just days before the US House of Representatives was set to vote on whether to hold the couple in criminal contempt of Congress for failing to honour subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee after months of resistance.

Bill Clinton has acknowledged knowing Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, but has consistently denied any knowledge of his criminal activities, insisting he severed ties with Epstein more than 20 years ago.

Although it remained unclear when the depositions will take place, the development marks a historic moment, as it will be the first time a former US president has testified before a congressional committee since Gerald Ford in 1983.

The Clintons had previously rejected the committee’s demand to appear, maintaining they had already submitted sworn statements outlining the “limited information” they possessed regarding Epstein.

They also dismissed the subpoenas as politically motivated. In an earlier statement, they described the summonses as “nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed.”

Despite this, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee approved contempt resolutions against the couple late last month, with support from several Democrats.

On Saturday, the Clintons’ legal team proposed limited testimony, including a four-hour interview with Bill Clinton.

However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer raised concerns that the former president could evade questions and deliberately run down the clock.

On Monday evening, Bill Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, confirmed via a post on X that both Clintons would appear before the committee.

“They negotiated in good faith,” Ureña wrote in a message directed at the House Oversight Committee.

“You did not.

“They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care. But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”

Following the announcement, congressional leaders confirmed that consideration of the contempt resolutions would be postponed.

House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said the delay was necessary to allow the Oversight Committee more time “to clarify with the Clintons what they are actually agreeing to”.

Comer, in response, said: “I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.”

Neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, and both have denied any knowledge of his sex trafficking activities.

Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, has stated that she never met or spoke with Epstein.

However, flight logs from Epstein’s private jet indicate that Bill Clinton took four international trips aboard the aircraft between 2002 and 2003.

After Epstein’s arrest in July 2019, Clinton’s spokesperson said the flights included “stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation”.

Photographs released by the US Department of Justice in December, as part of a congressionally mandated disclosure of Epstein-related investigative records, also show Bill Clinton at Epstein’s estate. The images include one of him swimming in a pool and another appearing to relax in a hot tub.

Ureña said at the time that the photographs were decades old and reiterated that Clinton had cut off contact with Epstein long before his crimes became public.

Last month, the Clintons wrote to Chairman Comer, sharply criticising his handling of the investigation.

“The decisions you have made, and the priorities you have set as chairman regarding the Epstein investigation, have prevented progress in discovering the facts about the government’s role,” the letter stated.

“There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics,” they added.

Comer has rejected the accusation, stressing that the subpoenas were issued following a bipartisan vote and insisting that “no one is above the law”.

“We communicated with President Clinton’s legal team for months now, giving them opportunity after opportunity to come in, to give us a day, and they continue to delay, delay, delay,” the Kentucky Republican said.