• Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify in House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation
• Decision comes after Committee rejected last-ditch offer for limited transcribed interview
• House was set to vote Wednesday on criminal contempt charges with bipartisan support

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed Monday night to testify before the House Oversight Committee in its Jeffrey Epstein investigation, marking a stunning reversal just hours before the full House was expected to vote on holding them in criminal contempt of Congress.

Angel Ureña, a spokesperson for Bill Clinton, announced the decision Monday evening in response to a letter from House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY), saying the Clintons had “negotiated in good faith” while Comer “had not.”

The agreement comes after months of escalating confrontation between the Clintons and committee Republicans over testimony regarding their connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with neither side accused of any wrongdoing in Epstein’s crimes.

Comer Rejected Limited Interview Offer Hours Earlier

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Earlier Monday, Comer had rejected a last-ditch offer from the Clintons’ legal team that would have allowed Bill Clinton to sit for a four-hour transcribed interview in New York limited to Epstein-related matters, with Hillary Clinton submitting a sworn declaration instead of appearing in person.

“It has been nearly six months since your clients first received the Committee’s subpoena, more than three months since the original date of their depositions, and nearly three weeks since they failed to appear for their depositions commensurate with the Committee’s lawful subpoenas,” Comer wrote in his rejection letter.

“Your clients’ desire for special treatment is both frustrating and an affront to the American people’s desire for transparency,” the Kentucky Republican added.

Comer said he could not accept changing the interview format from a sworn deposition to a voluntary transcribed interview, particularly after Bill Clinton had already failed to appear for scheduled depositions and “refused for several months to provide the Committee with in-person testimony.”

“The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas,” Comer stated.

Contempt Vote Had Bipartisan Support

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The House Oversight Committee voted January 21 to advance contempt of Congress resolutions against both Clintons, with significant Democratic support highlighting internal party tensions over transparency versus defending former party leaders.

The committee voted 34-8 to hold Bill Clinton in contempt, with nine Democrats joining Republicans. The resolution to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt passed 28-15, with three Democrats voting in favor.

“No witness, not a former president or a private citizen, may willfully defy a duly issued congressional subpoena without consequence, but that is what the Clintons did, and that is why we are here today,” Comer said during the January 21 committee vote.

“The Clintons’ testimony is critical to understanding Epstein’s sex trafficking network and the ways he sought to curry favor and influence to shield himself from scrutiny,” he continued.

Democrats who voted for contempt included Representatives Maxwell Frost (FL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL), Summer Lee (PA), Stephen Lynch (MA), Ayanna Pressley (MA), Emily Randall (WA), Lateefah Simon (CA), Melanie Stansbury (NM), and Rashida Tlaib (MI) on the Bill Clinton resolution.

Timeline Of Missed Depositions

The Clintons were subpoenaed in August 2025 on a bipartisan basis after Republicans and Democrats on the Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee unanimously approved issuing subpoenas to ten individuals for testimony related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Bill Clinton’s deposition was initially scheduled for October 14, 2025, then moved to December 17, 2025, after he cited the need to attend a funeral. The Committee accommodated the request but said he declined to propose alternative January dates. A new subpoena set the deposition for January 13, 2026 — which Clinton failed to attend.

Hillary Clinton’s deposition followed a similar pattern, initially scheduled for October 9, then December 18, and finally January 14, 2026 — none of which she attended.

Democrats Argued For Bondi Contempt Instead

During the January 21 committee markup, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), the ranking member, argued that Attorney General Pam Bondi should face contempt charges for not fully complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

“Where is the pressure to get Pam Bondi to release the files? Instead your focus and the committee’s focus on whoever you perceive to be … your enemies and the enemies of Donald Trump,” Garcia said during the hearing.

Representative Summer Lee (D-PA) introduced an amendment to hold Bondi in civil contempt for “failing to comply” with the law requiring DOJ to release all Epstein files. The amendment failed along party lines, 19-24.

“We want these files, and we want to hear from them and we must start there,” Lee said. “The Department of Justice needs to be the priority.”

Recent Epstein File Release Shows Clinton Connections

The Department of Justice released more than 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related documents on January 30, including never-before-seen photographs of Bill Clinton with Epstein and frequent communications between Maxwell and Clinton staffers between 2001 and 2004.

December’s earlier batch included photos of a shirtless Clinton in a hot tub with someone a DOJ official described as a “victim” of Epstein’s sexual abuse. Records show Epstein visited the White House 17 times during the Clinton administration.

Bill Clinton has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said he cut ties with Epstein before the financier was charged with soliciting prostitution in 2006. Clinton’s spokesperson maintains the former president “knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light.”

“I can’t confirm whose it was, I can only tell you whose it wasn’t: Bill Clinton’s,” Ureña told CNN regarding emails in the Epstein files, noting Clinton has only sent two emails in his life — one to astronaut John Glenn in orbit and another to troops in the Adriatic.

Potential Legal Consequences If Contempt Had Passed

If the House had voted to hold the Clintons in contempt and the resolution passed, it would have directed Speaker Mike Johnson to refer the case to the U.S. Department of Justice for potential prosecution.

Conviction on contempt of Congress charges can result in substantial fines and potential incarceration. During the Biden administration, two Trump allies — Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro — each served four months in prison after failing to cooperate with the January 6 investigation.

The prospect raised the possibility of Congress using one of its most severe punishments against a former president for the first time in American history. Historically, Congress has given deference to former presidents, and none has ever been forced to testify before lawmakers, although some have volunteered.

Maxwell Virtual Interview Scheduled

Comer noted during the January 21 hearing that the committee will virtually interview Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell on February 9. Maxwell is currently held at a federal prison in Texas after being convicted of sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday his caucus would discuss the contempt resolutions later in the week, with leadership deciding whether to whip votes against them. Jeffries called himself a “hard no” on contempt and accused Comer of focusing on political retribution rather than investigating DOJ’s delayed file releases.

It remains unclear when the Clintons will testify or what format their testimony will take following Monday night’s agreement.

Will Bill and Hillary Clinton’s testimony provide new insights into Jeffrey Epstein’s network of influence, or does this reversal simply avoid a historic contempt vote against a former president while deflecting attention from the Justice Department’s incomplete file releases?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from NBC News’ breaking coverage of the Clintons’ agreement, NPR’s reporting on the contempt vote, The Washington Times’ coverage of Comer’s rejection, CNN’s analysis of the Epstein documents, Just The News’ reporting on the testimony reversal, House Oversight Committee official statements, and ABC News’ coverage of the committee vote.

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