House committee votes to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress

In a bipartisan vote, the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee approved the contempt of congressional impeachment, allowing for a vote in the House early next month. In a rare departure from party lines, some Democrats supported the impeachment of the Clintons, and several progressive lawmakers stressed the need for full transparency in the Epstein investigation.

The votes were the latest twist The Epstein saga as Congress investigates how the late financier was able to sexually abuse dozens of teenage girls over the years.

« No witness, not a former president or a private citizen, can willfully defy a congressional subpoena without consequence. But that’s what the Clintons did and that’s why we’re here, » Chairman James Comer said at the hearing Wednesday.

The consequences of contempt charges were high, given the substantial fine and even prison terms. Still, there were signs of a potential thaw as the Clintons appeared to be looking for an on-ramp to testify. Moreover, passage of contempt charges through the full House was far from guaranteed, requiring a majority vote — something Republicans are increasingly struggling to achieve.

The Clintons have said they have had nothing to do with Epstein for decades and are seeking a resolution to the dispute. This week they volunteered for committee leadership and staff to interview Bill Clinton in New York.

Comer rejected the offer on Tuesday, insisting that every interview also have an official transcript.

What do lawmakers want to know about the Clintons?

Washington’s pressure on Epstein’s account has shown details of the connections between the rich financier and Bill Clinton and Trump, e.g. many other powerful men. Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial.

Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump and many others associated with Epstein have not been accused of wrongdoing. Still, lawmakers are fighting over who gets the most scrutiny.

Clintons spokeswoman Angel Ureña said on social media that the Clintons are trying to help with the Epstein investigation, but « both Clintons have been out of office for over ten years. Neither had anything to do with him for over 20 years. »

Behind the scenes, longtime Clinton attorney David Kendall has been trying to negotiate a deal with Comer for months. Kendall brought up the possibility of having the Clintons testify on Christmas and Christmas Eve, including to the committee’s account negotiations.

The Clintons, who argue the subpoenas are invalid because they lack legislative purpose, have also provided the committee with written statements about their interactions with Epstein.

How the Democrats approach the issue

Democrats have largely focused on advancing the Epstein investigation rather than defending the Clintons, who led the party for decades. They agreed that Bill Clinton should inform the committee if he had relevant information about Epstein’s misconduct.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, donated to Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and to Hillary Clinton’s joint fundraising committee before her 2000 Senate campaign in New York.

« No president or former president is above the law, » Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said at the hearing.

On Wednesday, Democrats tried to advance a number of changes to congressional contempt charges. Many argued that Hillary Clinton should be freed because she has said she had very little personal interaction with Epstein. Democratic lawmakers also tried to downgrade contempt of Congress’s resolution to a civil offense instead of a felony.

Democrats criticized Comer for focusing on the Clintons as the Justice Department is a month behind a congressional deadline to release its files on Epstein. Comer has also authorized several former ombudsmen to provide the committee with written statements showing their limited knowledge of the case.

The committee had also subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime confidant, who is serving a long prison sentence for sex trafficking. But Comer declined to be pressed for an interview after Maxwell’s attorney indicated he would invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in any deposition.

« It’s interesting that this challenge is just something that the Republicans and the chairman have been obsessed with putting all their energy behind, » Garcia said.

Comer said the committee will interview Maxwell next month. Attorney General Pam Bondi will also appear before the House Judiciary Committee in February.

In the end, nine Democrats voted with all Republicans on the committee to advance a resolution of contempt against Bill Clinton, and three Democrats—Representatives Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan—joined the vote to advance a resolution of contempt against Hillary Clinton.

Democrats picked up the call for full Epstein transparency after Trump returned to the White House, particularly after Bondi stumbled on his promise to release all unredacted Epstein files to the public. The backlash reshaped traditional ideological lines, leading Republicans to side with Democrats, demanding further investigation.

The pressure eventually led mutual challenge of the committee which ordered the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate to release files related to Epstein. Republicans quickly joined the Clintons in the challenge.

Comer has stated that he insists that the subpoena be met only by Bill Clinton’s transcribing.

« They have two weeks before this bill is on the floor, » he said Wednesday

How contempt has been used

Contempt of a congressional hearing is rare and is historically used as a last resort when lawmakers try to compel testimony for high-profile investigations, such as the infamous interrogation of the 1940s. alleged communist sympathizers In Hollywood or impeachment proceedings of President Richard Nixon.

Most recently, Trump’s advisers Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon they were held in contempt for defying subpoenas from a House panel investigating the riots that began on January 6, 2021. a crowd of Republican presidential supporters At the Capitol. Both Navarro and Bannon spent months in prison.

The January 6 committee also challenged Trump in its investigation. Trump’s lawyers resisted the challenge, citing decades of legal precedent that they said protect former presidents from subpoenas to appear before Congress. The committee eventually withdrew its challenge.

However, no former president has ever been successfully forced to appear before Congress some have appeared voluntarily.

But some Republicans said they should face the same consequences for refusing to testify as Bannon and Navarro.

Rep. Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona, said on social media that if the Clintons « are not badly behaved, we have failed the American people. »