Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, are set to provide testimony in a congressional inquiry concerning the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a congressional aide disclosed on Monday. The Republican-led House oversight committee had suggested last week that the Clintons should face contempt charges for declining to testify about their connections with Epstein, a proposal supported by several Democrats on the committee. The Clintons had offered to cooperate with the committee but had declined to appear in person, asserting that the investigation was politically motivated to shield Republican President Donald Trump.
The House of Representatives had intended to consider holding the two prominent Democrats in contempt later this week, a decision that could potentially result in criminal charges. In 2024, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, former members of Trump’s administration, served brief prison terms for refusing to testify before a House committee investigating Trump’s actions leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, when asked if the House would proceed with the contempt votes against the Clintons, stated to Reuters, “They’re working on that right now. The lawyers are looking into the details.” Johnson had earlier expressed satisfaction with the news of the former president and former secretary of state agreeing to provide testimony.
The recent release of millions of internal documents by the U.S. Justice Department regarding Epstein has unveiled the late financier and sex offender’s associations with numerous influential figures in politics, finance, academia, and business — both prior to and following his 2008 guilty plea to prostitution charges.
It would be highly unusual in contemporary times for a former president to testify in Congress under such contentious circumstances. Since World War II, only Harry Truman and Gerald Ford have testified in Congress — Truman regarding the United Nations Charter and Ford discussing the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.
Similar to Trump, Bill Clinton is known to have traveled on Epstein’s plane on multiple occasions. He has expressed remorse about the relationship and stated he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal behavior. Clinton’s representatives have noted that he terminated his ties with Epstein after the initial round of criminal charges in 2006. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate who is now imprisoned, attended the wedding of Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, in 2010.
Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate, has indicated through a spokesperson that she has no recollection of ever conversing with Epstein.
Republican James Comer from Kentucky, the oversight committee chair, mentioned on Monday that the Clintons have not confirmed a date for their depositions, and he plans to discuss the next steps with committee members. Comer rejected an offer from the Clintons’ attorneys earlier on Monday to have Bill Clinton participate in a transcribed interview and for Hillary Clinton to submit a sworn declaration.
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the motives of Comer, suggesting that the Clintons had made sincere efforts to provide testimony and that the focus should be on obtaining information rather than creating a political spectacle. Democrats have also raised concerns that the Justice Department has not fully disclosed all the material it possesses on Epstein, and Republican leadership has not pursued this matter.