The House Oversight Committee plans to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after she failed to appear for a scheduled deposition in its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Chairman James Comer announced Wednesday. The move follows a similar decision a day earlier targeting former President Bill Clinton for skipping his deposition.
Comer said the committee will vote next Wednesday to hold both Clintons in criminal contempt and then bring the measures to the full House. He stated the panel negotiated with the Clintons’ lawyers for five months and repeatedly rescheduled depositions, but no alternative dates were provided.
In a letter, the Clintons argued the subpoenas were “legally invalid” and said they would not testify, claiming the investigation lacks a valid legislative purpose and violates separation of powers. Their attorneys echoed those claims, calling the subpoenas unenforceable.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said failure to appear could constitute contempt of Congress. Hillary Clinton’s spokesperson questioned why she was being targeted, noting she has not been accused of wrongdoing and does not appear in released Epstein files. Bill Clinton has also denied wrongdoing and said he cut ties with Epstein before the latter’s 2006 charges.
The Justice Department says over 2 million Epstein-related files remain unreleased, despite a December deadline.