Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify in Epstein probe ahead of contempt vote

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before Congress in the investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, days before lawmakers were set to vote on holding the couple in criminal contempt.

The decision was confirmed on Monday, February 2, ending a months-long standoff with the House Oversight Committee.

The depositions will mark the first time a former US president has testified before a congressional panel since Gerald Ford appeared before Congress in 1983.

Aide says Clintons 'look forward to setting a precedent'

The House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, had approved a measure late last month to hold both Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress. Several Democrats joined Republicans in backing the move.

The panel had accused the couple of stonewalling its investigation into Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal trafficking charges.

On Monday evening, Clinton deputy chief of staff Angel Urena confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that both Clintons would now comply.

“They negotiated in good faith,” Urena wrote in a post 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 have said they already submitted sworn written statements and shared what they described as the “limited information” they had about Epstein.

Clintons accuse House Oversight Committee of political motives

The couple has strongly criticized the Oversight Committee’s handling of the investigation, calling the subpoenas a political stunt rather than a genuine effort to uncover facts.

In a letter sent last month to Committee Chairman James Comer, the Clintons accused him of prioritizing politics over progress.

“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,” the letter said.

“There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics,” it added.

The Clintons previously dismissed the legal summonses as “nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals,” claiming the effort was directed by President Donald Trump.

“No one is above the law,” the Kentucky Republican said, adding that Clinton’s legal team had been given “opportunity after opportunity” to cooperate.

“We communicated with President Clinton’s legal team for months now, giving them opportunity after opportunity to come in, to give us a day, and they continue to delay, delay, delay,” Comer said.

Bill Clinton’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein resurface

Bill Clinton has acknowledged knowing Epstein but has repeatedly denied any knowledge of his criminal activities. He has also said he cut off contact with the financier nearly two decades ago, long before Epstein’s crimes became public.

Flight logs from Epstein’s private jet show that Clinton took four international flights in 2002 and 2003. The former president has never been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims.

Photos released by the Justice Department in December further fueled scrutiny. The images, disclosed under a law requiring the release of investigative materials tied to Epstein, show Clinton at Epstein’s estate.

One image shows Clinton swimming in a pool, while another appears to show him lying on his back with his hands behind his head in what looks like a hot tub.

At the time, Urena said the photos were decades old and reiterated that Clinton had stopped associating with Epstein well before his crimes came to light.