Topline
House Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. said Tuesday he rejected an offer to speak with former President Bill Clinton privately about Jeffrey Epstein, blasting the family as they have refused to publicly testify on the late disgraced financier ahead of contempt proceedings against Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Key Facts
Comer said in a statement the proposal from the Clintons was an “untenable offer” that would have involved him traveling to New York to speak only with the former president, not him and Hillary.
Comer said no official transcript would have been recorded and no other lawmakers could have participated, adding the Clintons’ “demands make clear they believe their last name entitles them to special treatment.”
The Clintons have refused to testify in front of the committee, with their attorney arguing they have no knowledge of Epstein’s alleged schemes and should be able to provide written statements instead of in-person testimony, even as the former president has appeared in several photos released in the Epstein files.
Comer argued Hillary’s testimony is necessary for the committee’s investigation into Epstein, citing her experience working with the government to counter sex trafficking rings, her personal knowledge of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and her family’s relationship with Epstein.
The Clintons have not been formally accused of wrongdoing in connection to Epstein.
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What To Watch For
The contempt vote will be held Wednesday, though jail time for the Clintons does not appear to be an imminent threat as the family prepares for a potential legal battle over their subpoena compliance. The family said in a letter to Comer the committee’s push for their appearance “brings us toward a protracted and unnecessary legal confrontation.” The Clintons also said in their letter that any contempt motion would be a politically motivated process “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”
Key Background
The former president is one of the most high-profile names within the publicly released Epstein files, which have revealed Clinton’s trips aboard Epstein’s private jet and shown Clinton alongside Epstein in multiple photos. The Justice Department, which is now a month past its deadline to release all the Epstein files, said last week it made “substantial progress” reviewing over a million documents related to the late alleged sex trafficker. It is still unclear when the DOJ intends to make the remaining files public.
Further Reading
Trump DOJ Reports ‘Substantial Progress’ On Reviewing Epstein Files—But Still Won’t Say When They’re Coming Out (Forbes)
DOJ Releases Some Epstein Files — Including Many Clinton Photos: Here’s Everything We Know (Forbes)
