Comer Says Clintons Face Contempt Charges In Epstein Probe
The chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued a sharp warning Friday to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, making clear they could face contempt of Congress if they continue to resist subpoenas demanding their sworn testimony regarding their associations with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
In July, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement approved—by voice vote—the issuance of subpoenas to 10 individuals, including both Clintons, as part of Congress’s ongoing investigation into Epstein’s crimes and the failures surrounding them.
The subpoenas seek testimony related to federal investigations into Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Newsmax reported Friday.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the Oversight Committee, formally issued the subpoenas in August. The Clintons were initially scheduled to sit for depositions in October. However, Comer said in November that following negotiations with the Clintons’ attorney, David Kendall, the dates were pushed back to Dec. 17 for former President Clinton and Dec. 18 for former Secretary Clinton.
“It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes,” Comer said in a statement. “Throughout that time, the former President and former Secretary of State have delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the Committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony.
“If the Clintons fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January, the Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings to hold them accountable,” he added.
Comer’s warning came just hours after Democrats on the committee released a limited set of photographs recovered from Epstein’s estate. The images include photos of President Donald J. Trump, former President Clinton, and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
The 19 photographs made public represent only a fraction of the more than 95,000 images the committee obtained from Epstein’s estate.
Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while in federal custody as he awaited trial on federal sex-trafficking charges—an outcome that continues to fuel public skepticism and bipartisan demands for transparency.
Bill Clinton’s past association with Epstein has been documented for years, including reports that Clinton traveled aboard Epstein’s private aircraft after leaving office. A spokesperson for the former president has previously claimed Clinton severed ties with Epstein long before his 2019 arrest and had no knowledge of the criminal activity later alleged.
Those claims are now being reexamined as Congress presses for broader access to records and testimony from individuals who had direct or indirect relationships with Epstein.
In addition to the Clintons, subpoenas were issued to a slate of former top federal officials, including former Attorneys General Merrick Garland, Bill Barr, Alberto Gonzales, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, and Eric Holder, as well as former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller. Sessions and Barr both served as attorneys general during President Trump’s first term, Newsmax noted.
The controversy surrounding Epstein has also spilled into the current administration. FBI Assistant Director Dan Bongino may soon depart his position following reported internal clashes with the Trump administration over the handling of Epstein-related files, according to journalist Rachel Bade.
Writing on her Substack, The Inner Circle, Bade reported that Bongino has angered senior officials over his response to the Epstein materials, though it remains unclear whether he would be dismissed or leave voluntarily. According to Bade, Bongino’s actions led to “senior staff complaining that he put his personal reputation with MAGA World ahead of the team’s best interests.”
Bongino was reportedly involved in a “fiery confrontation” with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the release of a DOJ–FBI memo stating there was no Epstein client list and no evidence Epstein was blackmailing prominent individuals.
ABC News reported at the time that the memo directly contradicted years of speculation surrounding Epstein’s activities and his death. Axios later reported that Bongino was so upset by the dispute with Bondi that he failed to report to work, fueling speculation among colleagues that he may have quit.
As pressure mounts and deadlines loom, the Oversight Committee’s message is unmistakable: even the most powerful political families are not immune from congressional accountability.