Bill and Hillary Clinton refuse to testify in House Epstein probe, contempt possible

Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have refused to testify before the House Oversight Committee in its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a move that could lead to contempt of Congress proceedings, according to committee chair Rep. James Comer of Kentucky.

In a public letter, the Clintons said the subpoenas issued by the Republican-led committee were legally invalid and accused lawmakers of selectively targeting them while allowing other former officials to respond in writing. They warned that the process appeared “literally designed to result in our imprisonment” and said they would challenge it through legal means.

Comer said he plans to initiate contempt proceedings next week after Bill Clinton failed to appear for a scheduled deposition . If the committee votes to hold the Clintons in contempt, the matter would go to the full House and could then be referred to the Justice Department , which would decide whether to pursue criminal charges or seek enforcement in federal court.

“No one’s accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” Comer told reporters, adding that Clinton and Epstein “spent a lot of time together.”

Bill Clinton has never been charged with or convicted of wrongdoing related to Epstein but had a documented association with the financier during the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died by suicide in a New York jail while awaiting trial but there are several thepries that he was murdered.

Scrutiny of Clinton has intensified following the release of portions of the Epstein files in December. The material includes several photographs in which Clinton appears, including images showing him in a hot tub with a redacted individual, standing next to Epstein, and swimming in a pool with Epstein and others. Additional group photographs show Clinton with other public figures, including President Donald Trump, in social settings . Officials have stressed that the images do not depict illegal activity and that appearing in the files does not imply criminal conduct.

A widely circulated video clip has also drawn attention, showing a journalist asking Clinton whether he has any comment on allegations linked to Epstein. Clinton briefly responds, smiling, “ I think the evidence is clear ,” without further elaboration. His representatives have said he denies any misconduct and had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

Clinton, one of the most prominent figures in modern US politics, became the youngest elected governor in the country at age 32 before serving two terms as president from 1993 to 2001. Hillary Clinton later served as secretary of state and was the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 2016.

In their letter to Congress, the Clintons said they had already shared whatever limited information they possess. “We have tried to give you the little information we have. We’ve done so because Mr. Epstein’s crimes were horrific,” they wrote.

Former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress, but none has been successfully compelled to do so. That precedent was cited by President Donald Trump in 2022 when a House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot subpoenaed him, a subpoena that was later withdrawn. Comer said the Oversight Committee does not plan to compel Trump’s testimony regarding Epstein.

The standoff comes as bipartisan pressure grows over the delayed release of Epstein-related investigative files. Lawmakers who sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act have accused the Justice Department of failing to fully comply with the law, while the department says delays were caused by the need to protect victims’ identities. A federal judge has asked the Justice Department and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell , who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, to respond to concerns about the document release.