The U.S. House Oversight Committee is escalating a confrontation with former President Bill Clinton, announcing it will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings after he defied a subpoena to answer questions about his connections to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bipartisan Subpoena Leads to Legal Standoff
Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, stated on Tuesday that the panel will vote next week on holding Clinton in contempt. This action stems from a bipartisan vote last year to subpoena both Bill and Hillary Clinton regarding their relationship with Epstein. The vote occurred shortly after the committee also subpoenaed the Justice Department for its Epstein files.
Comer emphasized that the goal was simply to ask questions, not to accuse the former president of wrongdoing. "No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing," Comer told reporters. "We just have questions, and that’s why the Democrats voted along with Republicans to subpoena Bill Clinton."
If the full House approves a contempt resolution, the matter would be referred to the Justice Department for potential prosecution, which could carry a prison sentence. Hillary Clinton is scheduled for a deposition on Wednesday, and she faces similar contempt proceedings if she does not appear.
Clintons Push Back, Citing Legal Invalidity and Political Motives
In a lengthy letter to Comer, the Clintons' legal team argued the subpoenas were "legally invalid" and complained that other subpoena targets, including former attorneys general, were excused from depositions. They framed the move as a political distraction.
"Despite everything that needs to be done to help our country, you are on the cusp of bringing Congress to a halt to pursue a rarely used process literally designed to result in our imprisonment," the letter stated. "This is not the way out of America’s ills, and we will forcefully defend ourselves."
The Clintons anticipated the contempt move, writing, "You may even release irrelevant, decades-old photos that you hope will embarrass us." They expressed hope that other Republicans would block the House from passing a contempt resolution.
Precedent and Political Theatre
The threat of prison is not theoretical. Two former Trump administration officials, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, served jail time for defying congressional subpoenas issued by Democrats. Like former President Donald Trump, Bill Clinton was known to socialize with Epstein, though neither has been implicated in his crimes. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The committee's actions were partly triggered by the release of a first batch of Epstein documents by the Justice Department last month, which included photos of Clinton. Contrary to legal requirements, only a fraction of the department's Epstein documents have been made public.
The proceedings took a theatrical turn when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) held up a poster of a painting depicting Clinton in a blue dress, titled "Parsing Bill" by Australian artist Petrina Ryan-Kleid. Boebert said the artwork was allegedly displayed in one of Epstein's properties and she wanted Clinton to explain its inspiration.
Comer lamented the absence of Democratic committee members at the press conference, despite their prior vote for the subpoena. A spokesperson for committee Democrats said they support cooperation with Congress and called for the immediate release of the full Epstein files, including any material related to the former president.
When asked about subpoenaing former President Trump, Comer said it was not possible to subpoena a sitting president and there was no need, as "He answers questions every day." The Trump Justice Department had previously stated there was no Epstein "client list" to justify new charges.
