WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are locked in a dispute with House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer over how they should provide testimony in the committee’s probe of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Lawyers for the Clintons told Comer they would appear before the committee in public hearings this month, according to portions of a letter shared with NBC News. That letter proposed Hillary Clinton testify publicly on Feb. 26 and Bill Clinton on Feb. 27, and indicated they would also be available for depositions on those dates but preferred open proceedings so their answers and the committee’s questions could be observed by the public.
Comer, however, said the committee understood the two to have agreed to transcribed, recorded depositions conducted behind closed doors. He said Republicans intend to question the Clintons as part of the investigation into crimes tied to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and framed the sessions as part of delivering transparency and accountability for survivors and the public.
The exchange escalated on social media. A spokesman for Hillary Clinton said Comer’s late request for cameras was acceptable and that the Clintons would go forward with public testimony. A former White House aide who speaks for Bill Clinton reiterated that the couple had negotiated in good faith, accused Comer of not doing the same, and said they would appear and hoped to establish a precedent of public accountability.
Comer told reporters the Clintons had accepted the usual terms of a deposition and would not receive special treatment; he added that if the closed deposition produced new, significant information, Republicans could invite the Clintons to a later public hearing. He also noted the depositions would be recorded.
President Trump, when asked about the planned testimony, described the situation as regrettable but praised Hillary Clinton’s skills, calling her capable and smart.
The Clintons have been trying to avoid a Republican-led House floor vote to hold them in contempt of Congress. The Oversight Committee set a noon ET deadline for compliance with its subpoena related to the Epstein inquiry. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise warned that lawmakers would move forward with contempt proceedings if the couple did not cooperate; the panel had already voted last month to recommend contempt citations.
It is highly unusual for former presidents to appear before Congress; the last former president to testify was Gerald R. Ford, who appeared before a Senate subcommittee in 1983.
Bill Clinton has said he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct, denied any wrongdoing, and has maintained he cut ties with Epstein years before Epstein was charged in 2006 with sex-related offenses involving a minor. Some undated photos of the former president have appeared among materials released by the Justice Department. In December, a Clinton spokesman questioned what connection Hillary Clinton had to the Epstein matter, saying investigators had not provided a credible link.