Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify in a congressional investigation regarding the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, an aide confirmed on Monday. This agreement averts a looming Republican-backed House vote that threatened to hold the two Democrats in contempt of Congress.
The House Rules Committee had previously advanced resolutions accusing the Clintons of non-compliance after they refused to appear in person to address their links to the disgraced financier. The investigation seeks to examine how authorities handled earlier inquiries into Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019.
Angel Urena, a spokesman for the former President, stated that the Clintons "look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone." The couple had initially argued that the subpoenas lacked a clear legislative purpose and were therefore invalid.
Republicans on the committee cited Bill Clinton's past use of Epstein's private jet in the early 2000s as justification for requiring sworn, in-person testimony. The Clintons had previously submitted written statements detailing their limited knowledge of Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on the aircraft for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian efforts but denied visiting Epstein's private island. Hillary Clinton asserted she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein and never utilized his plane or property.
Democrats suggested the probe risks being weaponized for partisan attacks against political opponents, noting that former President Donald Trump, a known associate of Epstein, has not been called to testify. This political tension highlights the sharp partisan divisions surrounding the ongoing fallout from the Epstein case.
The potential contempt vote carried significant political risk for Democrats, as some members worried about appearing to shield powerful figures from scrutiny, while others feared validating a strategy aimed at distracting from Trump's own past contacts.
