Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agree to testify before Congress as part of a investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee had been preparing to hold the Clintons in contempt for previously declining to appear before the panel. A vote in the full House was expected this week but was paused after the couple’s legal team agreed to comply with the committee’s terms.
Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear for a deposition on February 27, with Hillary Clinton set to testify the day before. It will mark the first time a former U.S. president has testified before a congressional committee since Gerald Ford did so in 1983.
The Oversight Committee has requested that the depositions be filmed and transcribed, with no time limits placed on questioning.
Committee Chairman James Comer said Tuesday that the Clintons’ decision followed the committee’s move toward contempt proceedings.
“Once it became clear that we would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved,” Comer said in a statement. He added that both Republicans and Democrats on the committee have maintained that no one is above the law.
According to multiple reports, the Clintons requested that their testimony be made public when they agreed to the committee’s requirements. It remains unclear whether the committee will grant that request.
If the House had approved a contempt resolution, the matter would have been referred to the Justice Department, which would then determine whether to pursue prosecution.
The Clintons, both Democrats, had previously stated they had already provided sworn statements outlining what they described as the limited information they had regarding Epstein. They characterized the subpoenas as politically motivated and aimed at embarrassing rivals at the direction of President Donald Trump.
Last month, the Oversight Committee voted to advance a contempt measure against the Clintons, with some Democratic support.
Over the weekend, as a House vote approached, attorneys for the Clintons proposed limited testimony centered on a four-hour interview with Bill Clinton. Comer expressed concern that such an arrangement could allow the former president to avoid full questioning.
On Monday evening, Bill Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, confirmed on social media that both Clintons would testify. He wrote that they had negotiated in good faith and would appear before the panel.
Neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims, and both have denied knowledge of his criminal conduct.
Bill Clinton acknowledged that he was acquainted with Epstein and flew on his private jet for trips connected to the Clinton Foundation in 2002 and 2003. He has said he cut off contact with Epstein before allegations of sexual abuse became public. Justice Department records released under a congressional transparency law include photographs of Clinton at Epstein’s property, which his spokesperson said were decades old.
Hillary Clinton has stated that she never met or spoke with Epstein.
In a recent letter to Comer, the Clintons criticized the committee’s handling of the investigation, arguing that its approach had hindered efforts to uncover facts about the government’s role in the Epstein case. They described the inquiry as driven by partisan politics.
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The congressional investigation remains ongoing.
