A high-stakes confrontation is brewing on Capitol Hill as House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer warned Bill and Hillary Clinton they could face contempt of Congress if they continue to refuse in-person depositions tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Comer, a Kentucky Republican, has given the former president and former secretary of state until midweek to either appear for live testimony or formally schedule depositions for early January. If they fail to do so, Comer says he will initiate contempt proceedings, a step that could result in a Justice Department referral. Criminal contempt of Congress carries penalties of up to one year in prison and fines reaching $100,000.
The standoff comes at a critical moment, as Congress prepares to release a comprehensive set of Epstein-related documents. Lawmakers voted last month to make the files public, and President Donald Trump signed the measure into law with a December 19 deadline. The anticipated release has intensified scrutiny over powerful individuals who associated with Epstein and his longtime accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Republicans have increasingly focused attention on prominent Democrats in the Epstein saga, including the Clintons. While Democrats previously urged Comer to subpoena the Justice Department for Epstein records, Comer instead issued subpoenas in August to Bill and Hillary Clinton, seeking testimony regarding their knowledge of Epstein’s activities and any potential involvement.
In a statement Friday, Comer accused the Clintons of deliberately obstructing the investigation. “The former president and former secretary of state have delayed, obstructed and largely ignored the committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony,” he said, arguing that sworn written statements are insufficient under the subpoenas.
The Clintons’ legal team strongly disputes that characterization. Attorney David Kendall accused Comer of running a politically motivated probe designed to deflect attention from President Trump’s past interactions with Epstein. In a letter obtained by The New York Times, Kendall described the investigation as “weaponized legislative investigations and targeted criminal prosecutions,” asserting that the committee is acting in bad faith.
The Oversight Committee has subpoenaed several individuals connected to Epstein, but compliance has been uneven. Former Attorney General Bill Barr is the only witness to have appeared so far. The committee excused former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller from live testimony and withdrew subpoenas for five former attorneys general who said they lacked relevant information. Comer, however, has refused to grant similar accommodations to the Clintons.
Former President Clinton has acknowledged knowing Epstein but maintains he severed ties years ago and never visited Epstein’s private island. Flight logs show Clinton took four international trips on Epstein’s private jet in the early 2000s, and a photograph of the two together resurfaced last week.
With deadlines approaching and the Epstein files set for release, Comer’s threat of contempt proceedings has raised the stakes significantly, setting the stage for a potentially explosive legal and political showdown.
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