House Oversight Chairman James Comer said Congress will pursue criminal contempt proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton after both failed to appear for closed-door depositions tied to the Epstein investigation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer said Wednesday that Congress is moving to hold Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in criminal contempt after both failed to appear for subpoenaed depositions this week.
“We’re going to hold both Clintons in criminal contempt of Congress,” Comer said in remarks to reporters on Wednesday, confirming that the committee is escalating enforcement actions after what he described as repeated defiance of lawful subpoenas.
According to Comer, former President Bill Clinton was scheduled to appear for a closed-door deposition on Tuesday and did not show up. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was scheduled to testify in a separate closed-door deposition on Wednesday and was also a no-show. Comer said the committee has now scheduled an Oversight Committee markup for Wednesday, January 21, to formally move contempt proceedings forward.
Comer said the committee intends to hold Bill Clinton in contempt for defying what he described as a “lawful, bipartisan subpoena,” noting that the subpoena had been approved by both Republicans and Democrats on the committee as part of its investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
In a public statement released by the House Oversight Committee, lawmakers said, “Bill didn’t show up. Hillary didn’t show up. Democrats didn’t show up,” adding that “they’re not above the law” and that contempt proceedings are now underway, as outlined in a committee post.
Comer said the Clintons have argued that they have already provided the committee with all information in their possession related to Epstein and Maxwell and therefore see no obligation to appear for testimony. However, Comer rejected that position, saying the committee engaged in months of negotiations before issuing subpoenas.
“After five months of good-faith negotiations, President Clinton has refused to comply,” Comer said Tuesday. “We are now initiating contempt of Congress proceedings,” he added, according to a statement he published.
Attorneys for the Clintons told Politico that the House Oversight subpoenas are invalid and unenforceable, arguing they are “not related to a valid legislative purpose” and therefore cannot be compelled.
Comer disputed that legal argument, emphasizing that the committee’s investigation was authorized by bipartisan vote and that subpoenas issued by Congress carry the force of law. He said the committee would now proceed with contempt actions as a next step to enforce compliance.
The contempt proceedings mark a significant escalation in the Oversight Committee’s investigation and could ultimately result in referrals to the Justice Department if approved by the full House.
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