House Oversight chair offers Clintons new deposition dates in Epstein probe, warns of contempt
WASHINGTON, DC: The Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee has given former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton new dates to appear for depositions in the panel’s wide-ranging investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein trafficking network.
They were also warned they could face contempt of Congress proceedings if they fail to comply.
Clintons offered new deposition dates
As part of the panel’s investigation, the House Oversight Committee is offering former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, new deposition dates in January.
Chairman James Comer wrote that the Clintons did not provide sufficient justification to forego in-person depositions, even though the panel has allowed some other subpoenaed individuals to submit written statements instead of appearing before the committee in person, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
According to the letter, those individuals either “lacked any relevant information” related to the investigation or had “serious health issues” that prevented their testimony.
“Your clients are not similarly situated, and therefore your argument that they are receiving unfair treatment, which you continue to repeat, is baseless. For example, unlike these other individuals, President Clinton and Secretary Clinton had a personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Comer wrote.
Clintons face contempt over missed depositions
The panel is now offering January 13 and 14 as new deposition dates for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, respectively, as part of an ongoing negotiation and a final attempt to avoid contempt of Congress proceedings, according to Chairman James Comer.
The depositions were initially scheduled for this week by Comer. However, according to the Clintons’ attorney, the couple was unable to attend due to a funeral and did not propose alternative dates.
The Clintons were first subpoenaed in August and have since been engaged in ongoing discussions with the Republican-led committee over scheduling their interviews.
Newly released Epstein photos show Bill Clinton
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate showing several powerful figures in the late offender’s orbit, including former President Bill Clinton.
Clinton has never been accused by law enforcement of any offense related to Epstein. A spokesperson has repeatedly said he cut ties with Epstein before his 2019 arrest on federal charges and was not aware of his crimes.
The images, released last week, do not depict any s*xual misconduct and are not believed to show underage girls. It was not immediately clear when or where the photos were taken, or by whom.
