The House Oversight Committee has voted to recommend holding former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt in connection with the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
On Wednesday, the committee advanced two resolutions to hold the Clintons in contempt after they failed to appear for depositions earlier this month. Nine Democrats joined Republicans to move forward the resolution targeting Bill Clinton, while three Democrats sided with GOP members to support the Hillary Clinton contempt measure.
The nine Democrats who backed the Bill Clinton resolution are Representatives Maxwell Frost of Florida, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Emily Randall of Washington, Lateefah Simon of California, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, and Rashida Tlaib of Michican. Lee, Stansbury, and Tlaib also voted in favor of the Hillary Clinton resolution.
A full House vote to hold the Clintons in contempt could carry significant legal consequences, as the Department of Justice may choose to prosecute the couple. If convicted, they could face fines of up to $100,000 and a jail term of up to one year.
During the hearing, progressive Democrat Summer Lee also introduced an amendment to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt for failing to comply with a law requiring the Department of Justice to release the full Epstein files by a December 19 deadline. Comer pushed back during the session, stating Bondi “is complying.” The amendment failed along partisan lines.
In a post-vote statement on X, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said, “No one is above the law” and that the Clintons “must be held accountable.”
“These bipartisan subpoenas for the Clintons were unanimously approved and issued more than five months ago as part of the Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.”
House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Garcia continued to criticize Republicans after the votes for failing to hold Bondi accountable, saying in that they are only interested in “pursuing political enemies and bending the knee to Trump rather than getting justice for survivors.”
During the hearing, Comer also announced that disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is scheduled to testify before Congress on February 9, though she is expected to plead the Fifth Amendment.
“I hope she changes her mind, because I want to hear from her,” Comer said.
Angel Ureña, Deputy Chief of Staff for former President Clinton, said in that the former president had offered to meet Comer and Garcia in New York for an on-the-record interview “at a mutually convenient date and time,” with the interview’s scope limited solely to the Epstein investigation. Comer rejected the interview offer on Tuesday, setting the stage for Wednesday’s vote.
