(AFP) – Bill and Hillary Clinton were set to testify starting Tuesday in the US Congress’s investigation into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with Republicans warning they could face contempt charges if they fail to appear. The Democratic former president and ex-secretary of state have been ordered to give closed-door depositions before the House Oversight Committee, which is probing Epstein’s connections to powerful figures and how information about his crimes was handled.
The pressure comes as President Donald Trump faces mounting calls for transparency after the Justice Department angered his supporters — many of whom believe the financier was murdered in a cover-up — by releasing only a sliver of case files nearly a month past the legal deadline. Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear Tuesday morning, with Hillary Clinton following on Wednesday — but neither has confirmed attendance, according to US media reports. AFP sought comment from the committee but received no immediate response.
“It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes,” the panel’s Republican chairman James Comer said in a statement last month. “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.” If the pair refuse to comply, a contempt resolution would need approval from the full House before being referred to the Justice Department. Criminal contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and fines of up to $100,000, though prosecutions hinge on the department’s willingness to pursue the case.
The subpoenas followed a unanimous bipartisan vote last year directing the committee to compel testimony from current and former officials as part of its Epstein probe. The Clintons were initially slated to testify in October, but those dates were pushed back during negotiations with their legal team. Bill Clinton’s spokesman says his team offered terms similar to those accepted for other witnesses and accuses Comer of singling out the former president without explanation. Hillary Clinton’s office questions why she was called at all, arguing the committee has yet to explain the relevance of her testimony.
Epstein, once a friend and associate of Trump and other high-profile figures, was convicted of sex crimes and later jailed pending trial for allegedly trafficking underage girls. His death in custody — ruled a suicide — fueled suspicions long championed by Trump supporters, that Epstein ran an international pedophile ring and was silenced to protect powerful elites. After Trump returned to power last year, his administration vowed to release Epstein case files but quickly recanted, saying there was no further information to offer.
Eventually forced by Congress to act, the Justice Department released a first batch of Epstein-related documents — just one percent of the total case file — in December. Among them were photographs of Bill Clinton from the early 2000s, before Epstein faced criminal charges. Clinton denies wrongdoing and says he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes. His office says he cut ties more than a decade before Epstein’s arrest and has urged the government to release all remaining files in full. No evidence has emerged implicating either Bill or Hillary Clinton in criminal conduct related to Epstein.
Contempt of Congress has taken on new weight in recent years. Two Trump allies were jailed for defying subpoenas in the investigation of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol — a stark reminder that defiance can carry real consequences.
– Frankie TAGGART
© 2024 AFP
