The Clintons are on the brink of facing a significant congressional rebuke for allegedly defying a subpoena! House Republicans are poised to advance resolutions that could declare former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress. This action stems from their failure to comply with committee subpoenas related to the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
On Wednesday, Oversight Chairman James Comer is scheduled to lead a markup session for two resolutions that would find the Clintons in contempt. This move follows their refusal to participate in a deposition with the committee last week, despite a subpoena.
Chairman Comer stated last week, "The Clintons are not above the law, and the House Oversight Committee will move to hold them in contempt of Congress." He further added, "If Democrats refuse to hold the Clintons accountable, they will expose themselves as hypocrites."
The Clintons, however, have maintained for months that the subpoena lacks legal basis and have been contesting it.
But here's where it gets controversial... Last summer, both Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight's Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee agreed to issue subpoenas for testimony from 10 individuals, including the Clintons, as part of their inquiry into Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. Republicans have specifically highlighted former President Clinton's travels on Epstein's private jet in the early 2000s and the Clinton family's past association with Epstein and Maxwell.
The contempt resolution is anticipated to pass out of the committee on Wednesday afternoon, paving the way for a full House vote in the days that follow. The exact timing for the House floor consideration will be determined after the committee's markup.
Should Democrats oppose the floor vote, Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose two Republican votes. A third defector from the GOP could jeopardize the passage of the resolution.
If the resolution is approved, the Speaker of the House would be directed to forward the case to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for potential criminal prosecution. A simple majority is all that's needed for a contempt resolution to pass, and it does not require Senate approval.
And this is the part most people miss... While the Clintons are accused of defying the subpoena, it's crucial to note that neither Bill Clinton nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's crimes, and both deny any knowledge of his activities. Furthermore, no Epstein survivor or associate has ever publicly alleged any wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior by the former President or his wife related to their past association with Epstein.
Last month, in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Justice Department released several photographs of former President Clinton, apparently taken during his international travels with Epstein and Maxwell between 2002 and 2003. Following this release, a spokesperson for the former President argued that the Trump administration released these images to deflect attention from the Trump White House.
For months, David Kendall, the Clintons' attorney, has consistently argued that the Clintons possess no information relevant to the committee's investigation and therefore should not be compelled to provide in-person testimony.
Chairman Comer, in a letter to Kendall last October, expressed skepticism that the Clintons' knowledge was truly limited, asserting that it was up to the committee, not the Clintons, to determine the value of their testimony. He wrote, "The Committee believes that it should be provided in a deposition setting, where the Committee can best assess its breadth and value."
Comer also revealed on Tuesday that Bill Clinton's legal team had proposed an offer for a conversation with only the former President in New York, with Chairman Comer, Ranking Member Robert Garcia, and two members of each of their staffs present. A spokesperson for Comer stated that this offer was "rejected."
"The House Oversight Committee rejects the Clintons’ unreasonable demands and will move forward with contempt resolutions on Wednesday due to their continued defiance of lawful subpoenas,” Comer stated.
In response, Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña told ABC News that the Clintons "never said no to a transcript." Ureña clarified, "Interviews are on the record and under oath. Whether it was written or typed isn’t why this is happening. If that were the last or only issue, we’d be in a different position."
Ureña also commented, "You keep misdirecting to protect you-know-who and God knows what,” referring to Comer.
Last week, the former President's office released two written declarations from January 13th, which they stated were provided to the Oversight Committee. In these declarations, both Clintons denied any personal knowledge of Epstein and Maxwell's criminal activities. They also denied ever visiting Epstein's private estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Former President Clinton's declaration explained his use of private air travel for philanthropic work, stating, "In the early 2000s, Mr. Epstein offered a plane that was large enough to accommodate me, my staff, and my U.S. Secret Service detail, in support of visiting the Foundation's philanthropic work. As has been widely reported, I and my staff took trips on his plane from 2002-2003, visiting Foundation projects and attending conferences and meetings. I have never visited Little St. James Island, and I do not recall speaking to Mr. Epstein for more than a decade prior to his 2019 arrest."
He acknowledged that Epstein "may very well have attended" White House events during his presidency and might have been among the "tens of thousands" of people photographed with him. However, Clinton stated he did "not recall encountering Mr. Epstein, or any specific interaction with him, while in office."
Both Clintons asserted that they had no involvement, either while in office or afterward, in any criminal investigations or prosecutions of Epstein or Maxwell. They both stated, "I did not direct, oversee or participate in the handling of the investigations or prosecutions of the Epstein or Maxwell cases."
Regarding their acquaintance with Maxwell, both Clintons wrote that they could not recall the specifics of how they met, but remembered that she later "began a personal relationship with a mutual friend."
Former President Clinton explicitly stated, "To be clear, I had no idea of Mr. Epstein's or Ms. Maxwell's criminal activities. And, irrespective of any intent either may have ever had, I did not take any action for the purpose of helping them to avoid any type of scrutiny."
Hillary Clinton’s declaration stated, "During my tenure in public office, from 1993 to 2013, I never had any responsibility for, or involvement with, the Department of Justice's handling of the Epstein and Maxwell investigations or prosecutions."
What do you think about the Clintons' refusal to testify versus the committee's insistence on their testimony? Is this a matter of accountability, or is it a political maneuver? Share your thoughts below!
