Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed on Monday to comply with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s demand that they testify before the panel to answer questions about their past connections to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
“I understand that the Clintons have agreed to appear for depositions and have agreed to the terms that you laid out in your most recent letter,” Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) said during a House Rules Committee hearing on Comer’s push to force a vote that would hold the former president and first lady in contempt of Congress. A spokesperson for Bill Clinton later confirmed the latest development.
Ready to Speak Out the Truth
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“They negotiated in good faith. 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,” Angel Urena wrote on X. “They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone,” he added.
The Clintons said they were willing to “appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates” and urged the House to cancel a contempt vote that was expected to take place on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.
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Previously, nine Democrats on the Oversight Committee joined Republicans in voting to hold Bill Clinton in contempt, while three Democrats supported a similar move against Hillary Clinton. Both had ignored Comer’s subpoenas for months, publicly missing deadlines to sit for depositions.
Comer remained unconvinced by their latest proposal and didn’t immediately agree to call off the contempt vote.
“The Clintons’ counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet again, and they have provided no dates for their depositions,” Comer said in a statement.
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“The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt,” he added. “I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.”
If the case were to move forward and result in prosecution, the Clintons could face jail time ranging from at least one month to as much as a year, along with fines between $100 and $1,000.
Fate Undecided
On Monday, Comer turned down a proposal from the couple that sought to limit the scope of Clinton’s testimony and replace in-person depositions with a sworn written statement from the former secretary of state.
Comer said the Clintons’ push for what he called special treatment was “frustrating” and an insult to the public’s demand for transparency, adding that a four-hour testimony from the former president, as requested by his lawyer, would fall far short of what was needed.
The Clintons’ attorney sent the revised offer while Comer was in the middle of testifying before the House Rules Committee. Soon after learning about the new letter, the committee halted proceedings to give Comer time to reconsider whether moving forward with a contempt vote was still warranted.
Later, House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) announced that consideration of the contempt resolution would be delayed until Tuesday. The rules panel represented the final step before Comer’s measure could advance to a full House vote.
Comer originally issued subpoenas to the Clintons on Aug. 5, 2025 — nearly six months ago — seeking their testimony.
Clinton has acknowledged that he was friends with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s but has not been accused of any wrongdoing. While reports say he flew on Epstein’s private jet dozens of times, Clinton has consistently denied ever visiting Epstein’s infamous private island in the Caribbean.
