– The Washington Times
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
A vote to hold the two in contempt of Congress over their refusal to testify was planned for the floor this week.
“They negotiated in good faith. You did not. They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care,” wrote Angel Urena, deputy chief of staff for Mr. Clinton, Monday on X. “But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”
Both Clintons reposted the quote on X.
The date on which they will testify is not immediately known.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, ranking member of the Oversight Committee, said the Clintons agreed to testify “fully to every single request” from Rep. James Comer, Kentucky Republican and Oversight chairman.
“We’ve been encouraging him to testify. We’ve been encouraging Comer to cut a deal,” Mr. Garcia told reporters. “They had submitted over the weekend what we thought was a very appropriate plan for a deposition for four hours each. Comer rejected that because there were still a few things that he wanted … the Clintons have now accepted every single point of Comer’s letter and every single request that Comer and the Republicans have made.”
He said it would be “insane [and] unprecedented” if a vote to hold the two in contempt of Congress would still move forward.
“It would be clearly a demonstration that Comer is actually not interested in hearing from the Clintons, that he’s only interested in political games and not actually getting to the truth,” Mr. Garcia said. “That would be a huge disservice to the survivors and to the investigation.”
But Mr. Comer said the terms under which the Clintons agreed to testify “lack clarity yet again and they have provided no dates for their depositions.”
“The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt,” he said. “I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.”
The Clintons were subpoenaed by the committee last August over their ties to Epstein as part of the ongoing investigation.
They didn’t show up for their scheduled depositions last month, leading to the committee voting to hold the two in contempt of Congress.
The panel voted 34-8, including nine Democrats, to hold Mr. Clinton in contempt, and 28-15, including three Democrats, to hold Mrs. Clinton in contempt.
Mr. Comer had said Monday that he had denied the couple’s last-ditch effort to avoid the contempt of Congress vote after attorneys for the Clintons had made other offers.
Lawyers for the couple proposed in a letter sent over the weekend that Mr. Clinton sit for a four-hour transcribed interview along with an under-oath deposition, and for Mrs. Clinton to submit a sworn declaration.
“Had President Clinton initially offered to participate in a transcribed interview upon receiving his subpoena, the Committee might have considered that approach,” Mr. Comer’s letter said. “But given that he has already failed to appear for a deposition and has refused for several months to provide the Committee with in-person testimony, the Committee cannot simply have faith that President Clinton will not refuse to answer questions at a transcribed interview, resulting in the Committee being right back where it is today.”
Mr. Comer also pushed back on the requested four-hour limit because it would give Mr. Clinton incentive to “run out the clock,” something special-counsel lawyers during the Paula Jones investigation think Mr. Clinton did when forced to testify in that case.
“The Clintons are not above the law,” said a post on X from the committee sharing its letter to the lawyers.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, slammed the planned vote.
“I’m a hard ‘no’ on the shenanigans of House Republicans,” Mr. Jeffries told reporters Monday. “I don’t believe it’s serious, and I also think that there have been ongoing discussions by the Clintons and their lawyers to testify that have been repeatedly, apparently rejected by House Republicans on the Oversight Committee because they don’t want a serious interview.”
“They want a charade, and it’s not something that I’m down with,” he said.
Mr. Clinton’s relationship with the deceased sex offender is well-documented.
Records show that Epstein visited the White House 17 times during the Clinton administration.
The former president has also flown on Epstein’s private jet numerous times, but denies visiting Epstein’s private island, where many of the crimes took place.
Mr. Comer said in August that their testimonies are “critical to understanding Epstein’s sex trafficking network and the ways he sought to curry favor and influence to shield himself from scrutiny.”
“Their testimony may also inform how Congress can strengthen laws to better combat human trafficking,” he said.
• Lindsey McPherson contributed to this report.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
