The House Oversight Committee announced Wednesday that it will seek to hold former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after she failed to appear for a scheduled deposition tied to the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Committee Chairman James Comer said the action follows Hillary Clinton’s refusal to comply with a subpoena requiring her testimony and comes one day after the committee moved to hold former President Bill Clinton in contempt for also failing to appear for his scheduled deposition on Tuesday.
“We’re going to hold both Clintons in criminal contempt of Congress,” Comer told reporters Wednesday morning.
According to Comer, the Oversight Committee plans to vote on both contempt measures next Wednesday before advancing them to the full House for consideration.
“The Oversight Committee will vote on both contempt measures next Wednesday and then go bring them to the House floor,” he said.
Comer said the committee spent months attempting to secure the Clintons’ cooperation before moving forward with contempt proceedings. He said negotiations with their legal team lasted approximately five months and were conducted in good faith.
“We have bent over backwards,” Comer said.
The committee issued subpoenas to both Clintons last year as part of its investigation into Epstein and related matters.
The Clintons were initially scheduled to appear for depositions in October. Those appearances were postponed to December due to the Clintons’ attendance at a funeral, according to Comer.
He said the Clintons’ legal counsel did not offer alternative dates following that delay, prompting the committee to reschedule the depositions for mid-January.
Neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton appeared as scheduled.
In a letter sent to Comer on Tuesday, the Clintons said the subpoenas were “legally invalid” and stated they would not comply with them.
The letter said the position was based on legal analysis prepared by two law firms, which the Clintons said had been provided to the committee on Monday.
“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.
“For us, now is that time.”
House Oversight Committee Moves to Hold Hillary Clinton in Contempt After Missed Epstein Deposition
The House Oversight Committee announced Wednesday that it will seek to hold former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after she failed to appear for a scheduled deposition connected to the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The move was announced by Committee Chairman James Comer one day after he said the committee would pursue contempt proceedings against former President Bill Clinton for also failing to appear for his scheduled deposition on Tuesday.
“We’re going to hold both Clintons in criminal contempt of Congress,” Comer told reporters Wednesday morning.
Comer said the Oversight Committee plans to vote on both contempt measures next Wednesday before advancing them to the full House for consideration.
“The Oversight Committee will vote on both contempt measures next Wednesday and then go bring them to the House floor,” he said.
According to Comer, the committee engaged in months of negotiations with the Clintons’ attorneys in an effort to secure voluntary compliance before issuing subpoenas and moving toward contempt proceedings.
The committee subpoenaed both Bill and Hillary Clinton last year.
Their depositions were initially scheduled for October but were later postponed to December due to their attendance at a funeral, Comer said.
He added that the Clintons’ legal team did not offer alternative dates following that postponement, leading the committee to reschedule the depositions for mid-January.
Comer said neither Clinton appeared as required.
