Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, have agreed to testify in the congressional investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The decision comes days before a vote on whether to hold the couple in criminal contempt for refusing to appear before the House Oversight Committee after a months-long standoff.
Bill Clinton was acquainted with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, but has denied knowledge of his sex offending and claims to have severed ties two decades ago.
Bill Clinton will provide his deposition on February 27, while Hillary Clinton will appear on February 26.
This development marks the first time a former US president has testified before a congressional panel since Gerald Ford in 1983.
The House Oversight Committee has requested the depositions be both filmed and transcribed, emphasizing the importance of transparency in this investigation.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer stated, Republicans and Democrats have been clear: no one is above the law - and that includes the Clintons.
After initial resistance, the Clintons agreed to testify, asserting that they had previously provided limited information related to Epstein.
Hillary Clinton, who ran for president in 2016, has consistently maintained that she never met or engaged with Epstein during his lifetime.
The latest decision leads to the postponement of the contempt resolutions against the Clintons to clarify the terms of their agreement to testify.
No accusations of wrongdoing have been made against either Clinton related to Epstein's activities, and both have denied any awareness of his crimes.
