Former President Bill Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear for transcribed, videotaped depositions concerning their relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) announced Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton will appear on Feb. 26, with her husband due the following day.
“Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have been clear: no one is above the law—and that includes the Clintons,” Comer said in a statement.
“After delaying and defying duly issued subpoenas for six months, the House Oversight Committee moved swiftly to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings in response to their non-compliance. Once it became clear that the House of Representatives would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month. We look forward to questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors.”
The powerful Oversight chairman told reporters later that the Clintons “are not going to be treated differently than anyone else” and contempt was “still on the table” if they refused to appear for depositions.
“We’re looking at everything,” Comer added, while downplaying whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose emails with Epstein were recently exposed by the Justice Department, would become a target of the probe.
The former first couple had until noon Tuesday to agree to the committee’s deposition terms or face renewed contempt proceedings, with House GOP leadership eyeing a potential vote Wednesday on referring them to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.
Over the summer, a GOP-led Oversight subcommittee subpoenaed the Clintons and eight other former federal officials for testimony on the notorious case of Epstein, who was found dead Aug. 10, 2019, in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial.
Initially, attorneys for the Clintons suggested that the subpoenas were invalid and not enforceable, citing Bill Clinton’s status as a former president.
The attorneys offered to provide material, such as statements to the committee, in response, but Comer demanded an opportunity to question the Democratic power couple.
The Kentucky Republican eventually gave Bill until Jan. 13 and Hillary until Jan. 14 to appear. When neither showed, the full Oversight panel voted on a bipartisan basis to advance contempt proceedings.
Seemingly struck by how some Democrats broke party lines condemn them, the Clintons began to make more concessions.
On Monday, Clinton attorneys offered to make the 42nd president available for a four-hour transcribed interview in New York City and to have Hillary available to answer questions through sworn declarations, with the possibility dangled of narrowly tailored in-person testimony.
Comer promptly rejected that.
“Limiting President Clinton’s testimony to four hours is insufficient time for the Committee to gain a full understanding of President Clinton’s personal relationship with them, his knowledge of their sex- trafficking ring, and his experience with their efforts to curry favor and exercise influence to protect themselves,” Comer chided in a letter.
Ultimately, the Clintons agreed in a bid to stop contempt proceedings.
“At the 11th hour, James Comer asked for a camera, that’s fine. He can have 1,000 cameras. The Clintons will do this publicly,” Hillary Clinton spokesperson Nick Merrill declared on X.
The 42nd president is known to have been friends with Epstein, but has denied wrongdoing and has since denounced the late sex predator.
He appeared numerous times in files that the Justice Department has released to the public, including in photos.
