Washington — Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to the House Oversight Committee’s terms to testify in the panel’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, a sudden reversal after the pair faced potential contempt of Congress, the committee said Tuesday.
The committee scheduled Hillary Clinton for a deposition on Feb. 26 and Bill Clinton on Feb. 27. House Republicans said they would suspend contempt proceedings to ensure their compliance.
“Once it became clear that we would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month,” Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said in a statement. In a letter to the committee, the Clintons asked for a public hearing, saying “we now believe that will best suit our concerns about fairness.” A source familiar with the plans told CBS News the depositions will take place behind closed doors.
The House had been expected to vote this week on holding the former president and former secretary of state in criminal contempt, but those plans were abruptly paused Monday after the Clintons’ legal team notified the committee that they would accept its terms. Comer said he sought clarification on what the Clintons had agreed to, and the House Rules Committee postponed consideration of the contempt resolutions.
Over the weekend, the Clintons’ lawyers proposed that Bill Clinton sit for a four-hour transcribed interview in New York limited to matters related to the Epstein investigations, and that Hillary Clinton provide a sworn declaration or, if required to appear in person, be subject to the same terms. Comer rejected that offer as “unreasonable.” The Clintons’ legal team then emailed Monday night saying the pair “accept the terms of your letter and will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates.”
The acceptance marked a sharp reversal for the Clintons, who previously called the committee’s subpoenas “invalid and legally unenforceable.” In January, they refused to appear for depositions, saying in a letter, “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.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that “contempt is on pause to ensure that everybody goes through with their obligations.” Comer later told reporters contempt “is still on the table,” adding, “The contempt of Congress is for failing to show up. This will be their third date that we’ve given the Clintons and three strikes, and you’re out.”
The committee first requested the Clintons’ testimony in October and delayed the initial dates to December. The Clintons declined the December dates, citing a funeral, and did not appear for January dates. After they failed to show, the committee voted to recommend holding both in contempt; nine Democrats supported the bill Clinton resolution and three Democrats backed the Hillary Clinton measure.
Both Clintons submitted sworn declarations in January describing their contacts with Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence on sex trafficking charges. Bill Clinton’s declaration said Epstein offered his private plane to the former president, his staff and Secret Service detail in support of the Clinton Foundation’s work between 2002 and 2003. He denied visiting Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where alleged crimes occurred, and said he hadn’t been in contact with Epstein for more than a decade before the financier’s 2019 arrest.
Hillary Clinton’s declaration said she did not recall encountering Epstein or any specific interactions with him and that she never flew on his plane or visited his private island. The Clintons also said they did not recall details of meetings with Maxwell, only that she later was in a relationship with a mutual friend and that their last interaction was “many years ago.”
“To be clear, I had no idea of Mr. Epstein’s or Ms. Maxwell’s criminal activities,” the declarations said. Bill Clinton’s filing added, “And, irrespective of any intent either may have ever had, I did not take any action for the purpose of helping them to avoid any type of scrutiny.”
Patrick Maguire and Nikole Killion contributed to this report.