Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to testify on Capitol Hill Tuesday in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe despite lawmakers’ threat to maintain them in contempt.
“You will say it is not our decision to make. But we have made it. Now you have to make yours,” the Clintons wrote in an obvious problem to Republican Chairman James Comer, who set a last deadline for appearances this week.
Comer advised reporters Wednesday the committee would meet subsequent week to transfer ahead with proceedings for Bill Clinton — leaving open the door that the previous Secretary of State may nonetheless change her thoughts.
The transfer marks an escalation in the panel’s efforts to deliver the previous president in for a closed-door interview as a part of its Epstein investigation. Successful contempt votes by the GOP-controlled House can be each symbolic — as rebukes to the Clintons — and could possibly be used as a software to compel them to testify. It may even have authorized penalties if the previous president continues to resist cooperation and the courts or the Justice Department determine to take it up.
“It’s important to note that this subpoena was voted on in a bipartisan manner by this committee. This wasn’t something that I just issued as chairman of the committee. This was voted on by the entire committee in a unanimous vote of the House Oversight Committee to subpoena former President Clinton and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton,” Comer stated. “Now Hillary Clinton supposed to show up tomorrow. We’ll see what happens there.”
The Clintons laid out their private and authorized qualms with the request in a sequence of letters, obtained by NCS, penned by themselves and their legal professionals.
The pair asserted in the letters that they have been being unfairly singled out — noting seven different subpoenaed in-person appearances have been waived. Calling the panel’s subpoenas “invalid and legally unenforceable,” they outlined what they stated have been unprecedented harms being pushed by the administration.
“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,” they wrote.
They added later: “Indeed, bringing the Republicans’ cruel agenda to a standstill while you work harder to pass a contempt charge against us than you have done on your investigation this past year would be our contribution to fighting the madness.”
After the panel meets subsequent week, the House GOP management would have to schedule a vote on the House flooring. A vote by the complete House to maintain Clinton in legal contempt of Congress would arrange a referral to the Department of Justice, which might then have to determine whether or not to prosecute.
The panel unanimously issued subpoenas to the Clintons in August for depositions and has been privately negotiating with their authorized counsel to strive to set a date for each Clintons to seem for closed-door interviews.
The Clintons claimed they “have tried to give you the little information we have.”
“We’ve done so because Mr. Epstein’s crimes were horrific,” they advised Comer. “If the Government didn’t do all it could to investigate and prosecute these crimes, for whatever reason, that should be the focus of your work – to learn why and to prevent that from happening ever again. There is no evidence that you are doing so.”
But Comer has appeared unmoved.
The chairman has famous that Epstein visited the White House 17 instances when Bill Clinton was president, and that he flew on Epstein’s airplane round 27 instances after he was president.
“To my knowledge, former President Clinton has never answered questions about Epstein, and we just had questions, because again, I think anyone would … admit they spent a lot of time together while Bill Clinton was president and post presidency, and again, no one’s accused the Clintons of any problem. We just have questions,” he stated Tuesday.
Of the 1000’s of paperwork associated to Epstein that the Department of Justice was compelled to launch, a number of are never-before-seen pictures of Bill Clinton with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
One image exhibits a shirtless Bill Clinton in a jacuzzi subsequent to one other particular person whose face is redacted. There are additional photos of him swimming in an adjoining pool with Maxwell. These photos present one other girl swimming with Bill Clinton and Maxwell, however her face is redacted.
Yet another confirmed Bill Clinton holding a drink and standing subsequent to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 whereas in jail awaiting trial on federal intercourse trafficking prices.
It’s unclear the place or when these pictures have been taken.
Bill Clinton has by no means been accused by legislation enforcement of any wrongdoing associated to Epstein, and a spokesperson has repeatedly stated he minimize ties with Epstein earlier than his arrest on federal prices in 2019 and didn’t find out about his crimes.
“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” Angel Ureña, a spokesperson for Clinton, stated in a press release in December when the images have been launched. “This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton.”
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have additionally released photos from Epstein’s property exhibiting the various highly effective figures in the late intercourse offender’s orbit, together with Bill Clinton. In one picture, he’s pictured with Epstein, Maxwell and one other couple.