Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday that they will not comply with a congressional subpoena to testify in a Republican-led House Oversight Committee deposition related to the investigation involving the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a letter posted on social media, the Clintons criticized the House Oversight investigation as “legally invalid,” specifying that Republican Rep. James Comer, the chair of the committee, is pushing for a process “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”
The committee responded by announcing that it plans to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress after the pair’s failed appearance.
“We’ve communicated with President Clinton’s legal team for months now, giving them opportunity after opportunity to come in, to give us a day, and they continue to delay, delay, delay to the point where we had no idea whether they’re going to show up today or not," Comer said. "I think it’s very disappointing.”
The committee had coordinated the deposition with Bill for Tuesday morning and Hillary Clinton for Wednesday, following the subpoenas that were delivered last year.
“We will forcefully defend ourselves,” wrote the Clintons, accusing Comer of accepting other former officials to give written statements involving the investigation, while deliberately imposing subpoenas on them.
“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.” They added.
Comer assured on Tuesday morning that "No one’s accused Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing," and instead suggested that the committee was solely aiming to propose questions.
Before the depositions, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Monday night that it “would be contempt of Congress” should the pair fail to attend this week’s depositions.
Clinton has previously denied any part in Epstein’s sex crimes, expressing that he was not aware of the convicted criminal’s offenses. Clinton assured that he cut relations with Epstein before his 2006 accusation of having sex with a minor.
