Clintons Offer To Testify In Epstein Probe
After months of defiance, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to comply with the House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
For months, the Clintons refused to honor subpoenas from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, arguing that the requests were invalid and politically motivated.
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 14: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attend the funeral of former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman at the National Cathedral on May 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Despite the Clintons’ offer of testimony, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer rejected the proposal Monday as insufficient. Comer indicated he would continue his efforts to convict Bill Clinton of criminal contempt of Congress as the Epstein investigation progresses.
Comer repeatedly warned that the House Oversight Committee would file contempt charges if the Clintons did not comply with its subpoenas. The committee issued the subpoenas in August 2025, and Comer said he would move forward in contempt after the Clintons skipped scheduled depositions.
In a letter obtained Saturday by The New York Times, the Clintons’ lawyers told Comer that Bill Clinton would sit for a four-hour transcribed interview before the full committee, although he previously called such a request inappropriate for a former president. The lawyers requested that Hillary Clinton submit an affidavit instead of testifying, while specifying that she would appear in person if necessary.
Comer called the Clintons’ proposal unreasonable and said four hours would not be enough for Bill Clinton, whom he described as a “talkative” witness who might try to run out of time. In the letter, Comer said the Clintons’ push for special treatment “frustrates” the public and undermines Americans’ demand for transparency, The New York Times reported.
Comer also rejected Bill Clinton’s request to limit the interview to narrowly defined topics related to Epstein, saying the former president likely applied a limited view of what the investigation covered. Comer said he feared Clinton would dodge questions about her relationship with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including whether they cultivated influential figures or used Clinton’s influence after the presidency to suppress damaging media coverage.
The Clintons’ offer to testify reflects a turnaround from their defiant stance a few weeks earlier, when they pledged to fight what they described as a politically motivated investigation. Behind the scenes, their legal team sought to negotiate with the House Oversight Committee to avoid a contempt vote, including offering a sworn interview with Bill Clinton, but Comer rejected each proposal and demanded an open, transcribed appearance before the full committee.
A member of the Clintons’ legal team even contacted Comer directly in recent days to break the impasse, but Comer did not respond and later said no agreement existed. Comer said he was considering the latest offer in light of what he called the Clintons’ repeated reluctance to testify and questioned whether Bill Clinton intended to answer questions. (RELATED: REPORT: Bill Clinton Took Epstein and Maxwell to King’s Wedding)
The Clintons continue to downplay their past ties to Epstein, saying they broke off contact with him in 2005, three years before he pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida. Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña said Bill Clinton took four flights on Epstein’s jet between 2002 and 2003, but never visited Epstein’s private island or homes, adding that the trip took place more than two decades ago and ended before Clinton severed ties.
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