Former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The news marks a stunning about-face that came after months of negotiations and as the House Rules Committee was preparing to tee up floor votes on potentially holding the two in contempt of Congress. The House Oversight Committee voted last month to advance the contempt resolutions.
“They negotiated in good faith. You did not. They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care,” Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña wrote on the social platform X in response to a post from Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.). “But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”
Comer appeared to learn the news in real time during the Rules Committee meeting on Monday.
The moment got heated, with Democrats demanding to know whether the panel would move forward with the contempt resolution and Comer responding that he hadn’t yet seen the letter from the Clintons’ lawyers and would need to review it.
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) appeared to learn the news in real time during the Rules Committee meeting on Monday.
The moment got heated, with Democrats demanding to know whether the panel would move forward with the contempt resolution and Comer responding that he hadn’t yet seen the letter from the Clintons’ lawyers and would need to review it.
“The Clintons’ counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet again and they have provided no dates for their depositions,” Comer said in a statement shortly after. “The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt. I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.”
Comer earlier on Monday had rejected an earlier offer from the Clintons, calling it “unreasonable” in a letter to the Clintons’ attorneys and saying the Clintons’ “desire for special treatment is both frustrating and an affront to the American people’s desire for transparency.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, on Monday evening said the Clintons in their latest letter accepted each of the demands Comer outlined in his own letter.
“The Clintons have offered to testify fully to every single request from Chairman Comer and the Republicans. So they’ve accepted the full offer,” he said. “And like we’ve said, and we’ve said from day one, that we are and have always wanted to hear from President Clinton. We’ve been encouraging him to testify. We’ve been encouraging Comer to cut a deal.”
