US House Panel Approves Contempt Action Against Clintons Over Failure to Comply With Epstein-Related Subpoenas

A key US congressional panel has voted to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas related to its investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee approved the measure, with support from several Democrats. The matter will now move to the full House of Representatives for a vote. If approved, it will be referred to the Justice Department.

The committee had summoned both Clintons to testify about Epstein, with whom Bill Clinton was photographed in the 1990s and early 2000s. Bill Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s survivors and has denied any knowledge of his crimes.

The Clintons’ lawyers described the subpoenas as “unenforceable” and said they had already provided all relevant information they possessed.

On Wednesday, nine Democrats joined Republicans in voting to hold Bill Clinton in contempt, while three Democrats voted to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt. If the full House votes in favour, the Justice Department could pursue prosecution, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of $100,000.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer urged the full House to act, saying the vote sends a “clear message” that “no one is above the law, and justice must be applied equally—regardless of position, pedigree, or prestige.”

The Clintons argued the subpoenas were politically motivated attempts to embarrass them, directed by former President Donald Trump. In a letter to Comer, their lawyers said the couple had “proactively and voluntarily” communicated with the committee and described the subpoenas as “untethered to a valid legislative purpose, seeking information not pertinent to Congress, and an unprecedented breach of the separation of powers.”

Recently released photographs show Bill Clinton with Epstein at the late financier’s estate, including images of Clinton in a pool and in a hot tub. Clinton’s spokesman, Angel Ureña, said the photos are decades old and that Clinton ended his association with Epstein long before his crimes became public.

Most of the documents related to the Epstein files have yet to be released. Those that have been made public include redactions, some of which obscure faces and names of individuals under investigation. Millions of documents remain unreleased.