Bill and Hillary Clinton on Tuesday refused to appear before the U.S. House of Representatives in the investigation related to Jeffrey Epstein, escalating the confrontation with Republican congressional leadership and opening the door to a possible contempt charge.
The chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Republican James Comer, warned that he will pursue formal actions to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress after their refusal to testify in person.
The Clintons defy congressional subpoena
In an extensive letter addressed to Comer and published by The New York Times, the Clintons asserted that the subpoenas are “invalid and legally unenforceable” and stated that they have decided to confront the process politically.
“Each person has to decide when they’ve had enough and are willing to fight for this country, no matter the consequences. For us, that moment is now”, they wrote.
The couple maintained that they do not possess any relevant information about the Epstein case investigation and recalled that they had already submitted sworn affidavits similar to those previously accepted by the committee in other cases.
Comer accuses a political strategy and threatens contempt of court
James Comer claimed that Bill Clinton visited the White House 17 times during the Democrat’s presidency while Epstein maintained ties to influential figures. Although he clarified that there is no formal accusation against the former president, he insisted that Congress has the right to ask questions.
“No one is accusing Bill Clinton of any crime. We just have questions”, Comer declared to the press, symbolically placing an empty chair during the committee session.
The lawmaker set a Tuesday deadline for Bill Clinton and a Wednesday deadline for Hillary Clinton, warning that their absence would result in contempt of Congress proceedings, which could culminate in a referral to the Department of Justice.
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Possible legal sanctions
If the House approves the contempt charge, the case would be referred to the Department of Justice, with penalties including:
- Fines of up to 00,000
- Up to one year in prison
Comer asserted that the subpoena of the Clintons had bipartisan support, after Republican lawmakers added their names to a resolution jointly approved with Democrats.
Clinton accuses Trump of political persecution and protectionism
In their response, the Clintons accused Comer of pursuing a politically motivated process designed to divert attention from President Donald Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and from the closure of federal investigations without disclosing key information.
“We trust that any reasonable person will see that you are trying to punish those you consider enemies and protect those you believe are your friends”, they wrote.
They also anticipated that Comer would seek to spread old and irrelevant photographs to damage his public image.
Reinforcement of the Clinton legal team
In the face of the escalating conflict, Bill and Hillary Clinton reinforced their legal defense with high-profile lawyers:
- Ashley Callen, a congressional investigations expert and former Republican advisor
- Abbe Lowell, renowned for his expertise in high-profile political cases.
His lawyers argue that the subpoenas violate the separation of powers and lack a valid legislative purpose, citing precedents from the U.S. Supreme Court.
