Clintons defy subpoenas from Republican-led committee, prompting threats of contempt proceedings
According to details received by The Chenab Times, former United States President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have refused to comply with congressional subpoenas requiring them to testify in a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The depositions were scheduled for January 13, 2026, for Bill Clinton and January 14 for Hillary Clinton. In an eight-page letter sent to Committee Chairman James Comer (Republican-Kentucky) on January 12, the Clintons’ attorneys described the subpoenas as “invalid and legally unenforceable,” arguing they lack a valid legislative purpose and appear motivated by partisan aims to embarrass political opponents. The couple stated they had already provided limited information about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in written form and accused the inquiry of exceeding congressional authority.
Chairman Comer announced on January 13 that the committee would proceed next week to hold Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to appear, with similar action possible against Hillary Clinton. Contempt of Congress, if approved by the full House, could lead to a referral to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution, carrying penalties including fines or up to one year in prison, though such referrals are not always pursued. Comer described the refusal as part of repeated delays and emphasised that the subpoenas were issued following a unanimous bipartisan committee vote in August 2025.
The House Oversight Committee’s probe examines the federal government’s handling of Epstein’s cases, including his 2008 plea agreement in Florida and subsequent federal prosecutions after his 2019 arrest. Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Released documents, including those from the Department of Justice in late 2025, have included photographs of Bill Clinton with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as flight logs showing Clinton’s travel on Epstein’s private aircraft during Clinton Foundation-related trips in the early 2000s, prior to Epstein facing criminal charges. Bill Clinton has repeatedly denied knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and stated he severed ties years before Epstein’s legal troubles became public. No allegations of wrongdoing have been substantiated against him in connection with Epstein.
The Clintons’ attorneys argued in their letter that the committee has accepted sworn statements or foregone depositions from other witnesses and questioned why the Clintons were singled out for in-person testimony. They maintained that any relevant information had been disclosed and that the investigation risked distracting from legitimate congressional oversight of sex trafficking enforcement.
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