Clintons Reach Deal With House Republicans To Testify, Likely Avoiding Contempt Charges

Bill and Hillary Clinton will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Feb. 27 and Feb. 26, respectively — meeting a noon deadline imposed by GOP leadership to avoid being held in contempt of Congress.

“Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have been clear: no one is above the law — and that includes the Clintons,” House Oversight Chair James Comer said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Once it became clear that the House of Representatives would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month.”

Their former president and secretary of state have long sought to negotiate the terms of their cooperation with the panel’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and argued the congressional subpoenas compelling their testimony were invalid and designed to humiliate or put them in jail.

They ultimately decided not to comply with the subpoenas and skipped out on their scheduled depositions last month, at which point the committee moved to hold both in contempt. The Clintons reversed course Monday night as the House was in the process of teeing up contempt resolutions for floor votes as soon as Wednesday, which could have resulted in their incarceration by the Trump Justice Department.

Bill and Hillary Clinton have said they had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and neither has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the late, disgraced financier. But Bill Clinton has long been linked to Epstein and his image appeared in photos made public by the Justice Department.