Bill and Hillary Clinton Refuse to Testify in House Epstein Investigation

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday they will not comply with congressional subpoenas to testify in the House Oversight Committee's investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Details: In a letter released on social media, the Clintons described the subpoenas as "legally invalid" and said they had already provided the committee with the limited information they possess regarding Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The Clintons also criticized the committee for focusing on them rather than pursuing other aspects of Epstein-related oversight, including the release of the Epstein files. The House Oversight Committee, led by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), has said it may pursue contempt of Congress proceedings if the Clintons don't appear. Comer told reporters, "No one's accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing," but that Bill Clinton's repeated visits to Epstein's properties and flights on his private plane are relevant to the committee's inquiry. 

For Context: The Clintons have not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. The subpoenas come amid a broader congressional push to release Epstein-related files, some of which have been released slowly by the Justice Department under pressure from both political parties. Subpoenas were also issued to 10 other individuals connected to Epstein, including former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr and former FBI Director James Comey. 

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the Right, including One American News Network (Right) and Breitbart (Right) highlighted that neither the Clintons or Democratic Party members of the committee arrived for the deposition hearing. OANN quoted Comer saying, "It just seems like they only care about questioning Republicans." Conversely, Axios (Lean Left) wrote Democrats on the Committee "aren't ruling out" holding the Clintons in contempt, and quoted Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) saying, "We want everyone to come in if they know something…Including the president." National Review (Right) and OANN also noted visitor logs show "Epstein visited Clinton's White House at least 17 times over a two-year span, while flight logs show [Clinton] flew on Epstein's jet 26 times." Other outlets on the Left highlighted potential legal implications for the Clintons. Associated Press (Left) wrote, the "clash adds another dimension to the fight over Epstein, raising new questions about the limits of congressional power to compel testimony." CNN (Lean Left) quoted the Clintons' argument and Bill Clinton's back-and-forth with Comer online over the refusal. It also detailed photos of Clinton in released Epstein documents. 

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