Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to sit for depositions in the House investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein. The sudden pivot came just as the House Oversight Committee was moving to hit the couple with criminal contempt of Congress charges for previously defying subpoenas.
Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican leading the charge, isn’t ready to take a victory lap just yet. While attorneys for the Clintons emailed the committee saying the pair would “appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates,” Comer told reporters he hasn’t officially dropped the contempt proceedings.
He noted that while he’s open to the offer, he is waiting for a formal, written agreement, stressing that the final outcome “depends on what they say.”
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The stakes for the Clintons were high. Had the contempt charges moved forward and passed a House vote, the matter would have landed with the Department of Justice, carrying the potential for heavy fines or even jail time—an unprecedented move against a former U.S. president.
Until this point, Comer had rejected smaller concessions, such as a short interview for Bill and a written statement from Hillary, insisting that “the Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas.”
The investigation centers on the well-documented ties between Bill Clinton and Epstein during the late 90s and early 2000s. While Clinton has not been accused of any specific wrongdoing regarding the financier’s sex trafficking crimes, the committee has spent months pushing for full transparency. Interestingly, the push isn’t strictly partisan; several Democrats joined Republicans last month to advance the contempt charges, citing a need for clarity.
Spokespeople for the Clintons have slammed the move as a political stunt, accusing Comer of “negotiating in bad faith” and ignoring delays in the release of Justice Department files.
Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the probe a “charade,” though he remained vague on whether he would force his caucus to vote against the contempt resolutions if they hit the floor.
For now, the legal world is watching to see if this handshake deal holds or if the House will take the historic step of voting to hold a former first couple in contempt.
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