The House will halt contempt of Congress resolutions against Bill and Hillary Clinton after a last-minute agreement to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The transcribed, filmed depositions are set for late February, with Hillary Clinton set for Feb. 26 and Bill Clinton set for Feb. 27. The Clintons’ agreement to appear before investigators comes after the couple was given a noon deadline to agree to the committee’s terms for their testimony in order to avoid the House moving forward with contempt proceedings against the couple.
“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,” oversight committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) wrote in a statement. “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 Clintons initially refused to comply with bipartisan subpoenas for interviews from the oversight committee. The refusal led the panel to vote in a bipartisan fashion to hold both the former president and the former secretary of state in contempt of Congress. A full house vote on holding the two in contempt was scheduled for Monday but was postponed after the Clintons agreed to appear before the committee in the final hour.
“They negotiated in good faith,” Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña wrote in a post to X responding to the oversight panel Monday evening. “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.”
BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON FACE TICKING CLOCK ON CONGRESSIONAL CONTEMPT VOTE
A source familiar told the Washington Examiner that the oversight committee was still negotiating with the Clintons in the hours leading up to the noon deadline over the terms of their depositions.
The Clintons had pushed for their testimony to be at a public hearing, a request supported by ranking member Robert Garcia (D-CA), according to his spokesperson.