Former U.S President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have agreed to testify in the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.
The announcement comes just days before a House vote could hold the couple in criminal contempt for previously refusing to appear. The decision marks a dramatic turn in a months-long standoff between the committee and one of America’s most prominent political families.
Clinton was acquainted with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, but has denied any knowledge of his sex offences and says he cut off contact more than twenty years ago. Hillary Clinton has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.
The timing of the depositions has not been set. If it occurs, it would be the first time a former U.S. president has testified before Congress since Gerald Ford did so in 1983.
On Monday evening, Clinton deputy chief of staff Angel Ureña confirmed the couple’s cooperation via X. “They negotiated in good faith,” Ureña wrote. “You did not. The former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”
The Clintons have said they previously provided sworn statements to the committee and shared the “limited information” they possess regarding Epstein. They have criticised the panel’s handling of the investigation, describing it as politically motivated.
In a letter to House Oversight Chairman James Comer last month, they wrote: “The decisions you have made, and the priorities you have set as chairman regarding the Epstein investigation, have prevented progress in discovering the facts about the government’s role. There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics.”
Comer, a Republican, has emphasised that the subpoenas were passed with bipartisan support. “No one is above the law,” he said.
The former president’s past associations with Epstein have been documented. Flight logs show Clinton took at least four international trips on Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and 2003. Photographs released by the Justice Department show him at Epstein’s estate, including one in a pool and another appearing to relax in a hot tub. Ureña noted that these images are decades old and that Clinton ceased contact with Epstein long before his crimes were publicly revealed.
While the Clintons’ testimony will not imply wrongdoing on their part, the move signals a rare moment of accountability for high-profile political figures.
Congress now faces the challenge of balancing legal oversight with the potential for political fallout, as the nation watches.
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