The Clintons’ legal team is resisting House Oversight Committee demands for in-person testimony, setting up a potential constitutional clash over the Epstein investigation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Legal counsel for Bill and Hillary Clinton is pushing back against demands from House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) that the couple testify in person as part of the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Comer has threatened to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings if the Clintons fail to appear for live depositions, refusing to accept their offer of sworn written statements instead, according to The New York Times.
In August, Comer issued subpoenas to the Clintons, along with eight former top law enforcement officials. Since then, he has withdrawn subpoenas for five former attorneys general who claimed they had no relevant knowledge and excused former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller from live testimony. William Barr, the only individual from the original list to testify so far, has already appeared before the committee.
Comer has accused the Clintons of “delaying, obstructing, and largely ignoring” the committee’s efforts to schedule their testimony. He warned that if they do not appear this week—Wednesday or Thursday—he will move forward with contempt proceedings, potentially scheduling hearings for early January. A contempt charge could carry penalties of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
David Kendall, the Clintons’ longtime attorney, has argued in three letters to the committee that the couple should only be required to provide sworn statements, calling Comer’s demands “weaponized legislative investigations.” Kendall accused Comer of holding the Clintons to a different standard than other subpoenaed individuals who were excused from live testimony. He also claimed the committee was complicit in Donald Trump’s efforts to “divert attention from his own relationship with Mr. Epstein.”
Kendall described Comer’s actions as an attempt to “catalyze a public spectacle for partisan purposes.”
Bill Clinton has acknowledged knowing Epstein but has denied ever visiting his private island and claimed to have cut off contact with him more than 20 years ago. However, flight logs show Clinton took four international trips on Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and 2003. An undated photograph of Clinton and Epstein, signed by the former president, was among the images released by House Democrats last week.
Kendall argued that Hillary Clinton’s connection to the investigation is unclear, stating she has “no personal knowledge of Epstein or Maxwell’s criminal activities,” never flew on Epstein’s aircraft, never visited his island, and “cannot recall ever speaking to Epstein.” In a November 3 letter, Kendall called subpoenaing her “both purposeless and harassing.”
Comer’s subpoena noted that Alexander Djerassi, who worked for Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign and later at the State Department, is related to Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell. However, Kendall asserted that Bill Clinton was unaware of this connection.
If the Clintons are compelled to testify on Capitol Hill, it would mark a rare occurrence—no former president has testified before Congress since Gerald Ford in 1983, when he discussed the bicentennial celebration of the Constitution. Trump was subpoenaed by the January 6 select committee in 2022 but sued to block the action, leading the committee to withdraw the subpoena.
The standoff sets the stage for a potential legal and political confrontation, as Comer insists on live testimony while the Clintons resist what they describe as a partisan spectacle.
Original article
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