The wheels of justice turn slowly, but sometimes they grind to a halt altogether. That appears to be the case with Bill and Hillary Clinton’s response to a congressional subpoena in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced Friday evening that he is prepared to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings against the former president and former secretary of state. The reason is straightforward: more than four months have passed since the Clintons received subpoenas to testify about what they know regarding the Epstein sex trafficking scandal, and they have yet to appear.
The subpoenas went out in early August following a bipartisan vote by the House Oversight Subcommittee in July. The Clintons were scheduled to provide depositions on December 17 and 18. Those dates came and went without their appearance.
“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,” Comer stated in his press release. He made clear that if the Clintons fail to appear next week or provide a firm date in early January, contempt proceedings will begin.
The timing of this standoff is particularly notable. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released previously unseen photographs and videos from Epstein’s island estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands this week. The trove includes thousands of images showing the disgraced financier with various powerful figures, including both President Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.
When asked for comment, the Clinton Foundation responded with a curious deflection, telling reporters to ask Chairman Comer about a letter they sent him and questioning why he has not responded to it. The foundation declined to provide a copy of this letter.
A spokesperson from Comer’s office offered a blunt assessment of the situation: the Clintons “think they are above the law and are trying to get out of their depositions by using dilatory tactics.” The spokesperson emphasized that the committee communicated directly to the Clintons’ attorney that they must appear next week or provide a concrete date in early January.
“They’ve been dragging their feet for over four months. Time’s up,” the spokesperson said.
This investigation seeks to examine how federal authorities handled the Epstein case, which involved sex trafficking of minors and implicated numerous high-profile individuals. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, was convicted and is currently serving a prison sentence for her role in the crimes.
The subpoenas extend beyond the Clintons. The committee has also called former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, and Merrick Garland to testify about their agencies’ handling of the Epstein matter.
The question now is whether the Clintons will comply with their legal obligation to testify or whether Congress will need to pursue contempt charges. It is a test of whether former high-ranking officials must answer to congressional oversight or whether they can simply run out the clock.
The American people deserve answers about how federal law enforcement handled one of the most disturbing criminal cases in recent memory. Those answers should not depend on the political connections of the witnesses involved.
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