Bill and Hillary Clinton are staring down the threat of contempt charges — and potentially jail — after refusing to cooperate with the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Republican-led committee demanded the former president sit for a deposition on Tuesday, but the Clintons dug in. In a letter to Oversight Chair James Comer, they framed their defiance as a principled stand: “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. For us, now is that time.”
The letter didn’t pull punches, accusing Comer of pursuing a politically motivated vendetta “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.” They claimed the committee’s actions were less about justice for Epstein’s victims and more about public embarrassment and partisan theater.
The standoff is part of a months-long clash between the former first couple and House Republicans over Epstein, who was closely linked to Bill Clinton and pictured with him on multiple occasions. While most witnesses subpoenaed by the committee have been allowed to submit sworn statements, Comer has refused that option for the Clintons, insisting on in-person depositions.
In a separate letter, the Clintons’ lawyers argued the subpoenas were “invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a legislative purpose.” They also pointed out that their clients had already provided all relevant information they possessed on Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The confrontation, they argued, distracts Congress from work that could actually aid justice for victims.
The Clintons’ lawyers made it clear they see the subpoenas as a political weapon. “Nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed,” they wrote, citing a December 26 Trump post encouraging embarrassment of Democrats.
Critics also have accuse Republicans of engineering a deflection campaign aimed at protecting President Trump from his association with the notorious sex trafficker.
The message from the former first couple is brazen: they will not bow to political pressure, even under threat of contempt, imprisonment, or further legal wrangling.
Whether this confrontation escalates into jail time or ends in negotiation, it’s clear the Epstein saga continues to be a minefield for Washington, exposing deep partisan fractures and raising questions about the limits of congressional power versus political theater.
