In brief
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee regarding their connections to Jeffrey Epstein. This decision comes just days before a committee vote that may hold them in contempt for failing to appear previously. Bill Clinton has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, citing a long-standing cutoff of contact, while both Clintons assert they have previously cooperated with the investigation.
Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, have agreed to testify in the congressional investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It comes days before a vote on whether to hold the couple in criminal contempt for refusing to appear before the House Oversight Committee after a months-long standoff.
Bill Clinton was acquainted with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, but has denied knowledge of his sex offending and says he cut off contact two decades ago.
It's unclear when the depositions will take place, but it will be the first time a former US president has testified to a congressional panel since Gerald Ford did so in 1983.
The House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, approved the measure to hold the Clintons in contempt late last month, with the support of several Democrats.
On Monday evening, Clinton deputy chief of staff Angel Ureña posted on X confirming the couple would appear before the panel.
'They negotiated in good faith,' Ureña wrote in a tweet directed at the House Oversight Committee. 'You did not.'
'They told you under oath what they know, but you don't care. 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 say they previously provided the committee with sworn statements and have already provided the 'limited information' they had on Epstein.
The couple had dismissed the legal summonses as 'nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed.'
Bill Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein's abuse and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.
Epstein's private jet logs show that Clinton took four international flights in 2002 and 2003. The former president also appears at the late financier's estate in photos released by the justice department as part of compliance with a law mandating disclosure of all investigative material relating to Epstein.
In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer last month, the Clintons criticized his handling of the Epstein investigation.
'The decisions you have made, and the priorities you have set as chairman regarding the Epstein investigation, have prevented progress in discovering the facts about the government's role,' they wrote.
With growing pressure from congressional Republicans and the support of some Democrats, the Clintons' imminent testimony marks a significant moment in one of the most high-profile investigations in recent history.
