Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify later this month in a congressional investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Republican Representative James Comer said on Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee on February 26, followed by Bill Clinton on February 27. Comer, who chairs the committee, said both depositions will be transcribed and filmed.
“We look forward to questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors,” Comer said in a statement.
The Clintons agreed to testify in person after the Republican-led House of Representatives moved toward a vote to hold them in contempt of Congress, a step that could have led to criminal charges. The House Oversight Committee had recommended holding the couple in contempt last week after they declined to appear in person, although they had offered to cooperate in other ways. The Clintons have said the investigation is partisan and intended to shield President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said plans for the contempt vote were being paused. “Contempt is on pause to ensure that everybody goes through with their obligation,” he told reporters, adding that the decision on whether the testimony would be public rests with Comer.
The probe follows the U.S. Justice Department’s recent release of millions of internal documents related to Epstein, which detailed his connections to prominent figures in politics, finance, academia and business. Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Bill Clinton has previously acknowledged flying on Epstein’s private plane several times in the early 2000s, after leaving office. He has said he regrets the association and that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activity at the time.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted of sex trafficking of a minor and related offenses.
