The Democrats wanted the files and the probe…until they didn’t.
The House Oversight Committee is moving to hold both Bill and Hillary Clinton in criminal contempt of Congress after the power couple refused to comply with subpoenas regarding the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced the escalation Wednesday morning, accusing the former president and former secretary of state of stonewalling a legitimate congressional inquiry.
“We’re going to hold both Clintons in criminal contempt of Congress,” Comer told reporters. The committee plans to vote on the measures next Wednesday before sending them to the House floor.
READ: Clintons Vs. Congress: Former First Couple Defies Subpoenas In Epstein Investigation
The move comes after months of what Comer described as “good faith” negotiations. According to the Chairman, the committee “bent over backwards” to accommodate the Clintons, who were originally subpoenaed last year. Their initial October appearance was postponed due to a funeral, but when the rescheduled date in mid-January arrived, the Clintons were a no-show.
Instead of testimony, the committee received a defiant letter on Tuesday. In it, the Clintons declared the subpoenas “legally invalid” and announced they had no intention of appearing.
“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences,” the Clintons wrote in the letter. “For us, now is that time.”
They further challenged the committee’s authority, writing: “You will say it is not our decision to make. But we have made it. Now you have to make yours.”
READ: ‘Designed To Result In Our Imprisonment’: Clintons Defy Congressional Subpoena In Epstein Probe
Lawyers for the couple, Ashley Callen and David E. Kendall, argued the subpoenas infringe on the separation of powers and lack a valid legislative purpose. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., backed the committee’s authority earlier in the week, stating plainly, “I think it would be contempt of Congress if they didn’t turn up.”
The standoff occurs against the backdrop of a massive backlog in transparency regarding the Epstein case. Despite the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Justice Department missed its December 19 statutory deadline to release all documents. In a court filing last week, the DOJ admitted that more than 2 million files have yet to be released.
While the first batch of released files did not implicate Hillary Clinton, they did contain numerous photographs of former President Bill Clinton. He has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining he severed ties with the disgraced financier before the 2006 allegations involving a minor surfaced.
Hillary Clinton’s camp continues to dismiss the probe entirely. Spokesperson Nick Merrill said last month, “Since this started, we’ve been asking what the hell Hillary Clinton has to do with this, and he hasn’t been able to come up with an answer.”
For Comer and the Oversight Committee, the answer appears to be simple: comply with the subpoena, or face the consequences.
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