Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have agreed to testify in the congressional investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This decision comes just days before a scheduled vote to potentially hold the couple in criminal contempt for their previous refusal to appear before the House Oversight Committee, which has followed a lengthy standoff.
Bill Clinton, who had previous associations with Epstein, has denied having any knowledge of his sexual offenses and claims to have severed ties with him two decades ago. The timing of their depositions is yet to be determined, but this will mark the first instance of a former U.S. president providing testimony in front of a congressional committee since Gerald Ford in 1983.
The House Oversight Committee, primarily led by Republicans, had approved the contempt measure last month, receiving support from several Democrats as well. Clinton's deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, announced via X that the Clintons would attend the panel, asserting that they had initially cooperated and characterized the subpoenas as politically motivated maneuvers.
They negotiated in good faith, Ureña stated, defending the couple's prior statements to the committee and indicating that they had already provided limited information regarding Epstein. Ureña expressed the anticipation of setting a legal precedent with their testimony.
Bill Clinton's name is among those listed in Epstein's flight logs, showing he took several international flights with Epstein. Photos released by the Justice Department have also depicted the former president at one of Epstein's properties. While he has faced no direct accusations from Epstein's victims, political scrutiny continues over his past associations.
The Clintons previously criticized House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer in a letter, alleging that his actions and agenda have obstructed the investigation into Epstein's operations.
