House panel advances contempt resolutions against Clintons in Epstein probe

House committee advances contempt resolutions for Clintons in Epstein investigation

The House Oversight Committee advanced resolutions Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress over the committee’s subpoenas connected to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, according to the Associated Press.

The vote, taken in bipartisan committee action, set up potential House floor votes early next month, with Republicans and some Democrats supporting the contempt measures. The chairman of the Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, said at the session that no witness—“not a former president or a private citizen”—may “willfully defy a congressional subpoena without consequence,” adding that the Clintons did so and that lawmakers were therefore proceeding.

Comer’s push also highlighted the political stakes of the committee’s next steps, with contempt proceedings potentially involving punishment including a substantial fine and even incarceration. The AP report also noted signs of a possible path toward testimony, describing that the Clintons appeared to be looking for an off-ramp to resolve their dispute with the committee.

Clintons seek an interview; Comer demands an official transcript

The Clintons have repeatedly maintained that they had nothing to do with Epstein for decades and have sought to resolve the dispute with the committee. This week, their side offered to have committee leadership and staff interview Bill Clinton in New York.

Comer rejected that offer Tuesday, insisting that any interview would also require an official transcript. The AP account described the dispute as centering on what lawmakers want from the Clintons in the broader effort to shed light on how Epstein was able to sexually abuse dozens of teenage girls over years.

An Associated Press report said a spokesperson for the Clintons, Angel Ureña, posted on social media that “both Clintons have been out of office for over a decade,” and that “Neither had anything to do with him for more than 20 years.”

Democrats split, pressed for transparency and exemptions

The AP report said Democrats largely focused on advancing the Epstein investigation rather than mounting a defense of the Clintons, who led their party for decades. It said Democrats agreed that Bill Clinton should inform the committee if he has any pertinent information about Epstein’s abuses.

At the hearing, Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said, “No president or former president is above the law.” The AP account also described Democrats pressing for changes to the contempt proposals during the session, including calls to exempt Hillary Clinton—given her position that she had very little personal interaction with Epstein—and efforts to downgrade the contempt resolution from a criminal offense to a civil one.

Democrats also criticized Comer for concentrating on the Clintons while the Justice Department is running late on a congressionally mandated deadline to publicly release its case files on Epstein. The AP report said lawmakers also reviewed prior steps in the investigation, including material about links between Epstein and prominent figures.

Maxwell subpoenaed; Comer says she will be interviewed next month

The Oversight Committee had subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime confidant, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence following a conviction on sex-trafficking charges, the AP report said. Comer declined to press for an interview after Maxwell’s attorney indicated she would invoke Fifth Amendment rights in a deposition.

Comer told reporters Wednesday that the committee will interview Maxwell next month. The AP report also said Attorney General Pam Bondi would appear before the House Judiciary Committee in February.

How contempt proceedings have been used before

The AP report described contempt of Congress proceedings as rare and historically used as a last resort when lawmakers seek testimony for high-profile investigations. It cited past examples including the investigation during the 1940s into alleged Communist sympathizers in Hollywood and the impeachment proceedings of President Richard Nixon.

More recently, the report said Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon were convicted of contempt charges for defying subpoenas from a House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. The AP report said both men spent months in prison, and it also noted that a congressional committee subpoena for former President Donald Trump was ultimately withdrawn after legal resistance citing precedent.

Votes on contempt advanced for both Clintons

In the committee’s final votes, the AP report said nine Democrats joined all Republicans to advance contempt against Bill Clinton. For Hillary Clinton, the report said three Democrats—Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan—joined in advancing the contempt resolution.

The AP report also said Comer indicated he would insist the subpoena process require more than a written declaration, saying that the committee’s approach would demand a transcribed deposition for Bill Clinton.

The AP account closed with a note of sharp rhetoric from Rep. Andy Biggs, who the report said posted on social media that if the Clintons “aren’t perp walked, we will have failed the American people.”