By: The Trek News Desk
Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to appear before Congress in connection with the investigation into late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The development comes just days before the House Oversight Committee was expected to vote on holding the couple in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with earlier summons.
According to reports, the Clintons’ decision follows months of deadlock between their legal team and the Republican-led committee. While both have now agreed to testify, it remains unclear when their closed-door depositions will take place. If the testimony proceeds, it would mark the first time since 1983 that a former US president has testified before a congressional panel.
Bill Clinton has acknowledged knowing Epstein but has repeatedly denied any awareness of his criminal activities. He has maintained that he severed ties with Epstein nearly two decades ago. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, has stated that she never met or communicated with Epstein at any point.
The House Oversight Committee approved contempt resolutions against the last month, a move that also drew support from some Democratic lawmakers. However, following the couple’s agreement to testify, consideration of those resolutions has been temporarily put on hold.
House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said additional time was needed to clarify the exact terms under which the Clintons would appear before the panel. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer echoed the sentiment, stating that he would first confirm the details of the agreement before consulting committee members on the next steps.
Earlier, the Clintons’ legal team had criticised the subpoenas as politically motivated, accusing lawmakers of using the Epstein investigation to target political rivals. They argued that the couple had already provided sworn statements outlining the limited information they possessed about Epstein.
Confirming the development, Bill Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, said on the social media platform X that the former president and former secretary of state would cooperate with the committee and hoped the process would help establish equal standards for all.
Previously released Justice Department records and photographs had shown Bill Clinton at Epstein’s property. Flight logs also indicated that Clinton took four international trips on Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and 2003. At the time, Clinton’s spokesperson said the travel was linked to the work of the Clinton Foundation and stressed that the images were decades old.
Notably, neither Bill Clinton nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s survivors. Both have consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sexual abuse crimes.
Source: News Agencies
