**Bill and Hillary Clinton Agree to Testify in House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein Investigation**
Washington — Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, ahead of expected votes later this week on whether to hold the pair in contempt of Congress.
In an email sent to the committee on Monday, the Clintons’ legal team stated that the former president and former secretary of state “accept the terms of your letter and will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates.” The email, obtained by CBS News, added, “As has been the Committee’s practice, please confirm the House will not move forward with contempt proceedings, as the Chairman stated in his letter this morning.”
Republican Representative James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the oversight panel, responded late Monday, saying: “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. 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.”
The House Oversight Committee had subpoenaed the Clintons last year as part of its probe into the Justice Department’s investigations into Epstein. However, the couple deemed the subpoenas legally invalid and initially refused to appear before the panel. In January, the committee recommended holding them in contempt.
Both contempt resolutions passed out of the House Oversight Committee with bipartisan support, although more Democrats backed the resolution related to Bill Clinton, who has acknowledged previous interactions with Epstein. It is important to note that neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of any wrongdoing in the Epstein case.
To avoid contempt votes, the Clintons’ lawyers wrote in a January 31 letter to the committee that Bill Clinton would agree to a four-hour transcribed interview in New York City, “confined to matters related to the investigations and prosecutions” of Epstein. Hillary Clinton’s legal team offered to provide another sworn declaration to answer remaining questions, or if required to testify in person, she would do so under terms similar to her husband’s. The lawyers requested withdrawal of the subpoenas and contempt resolutions if these conditions were met.
Chairman Comer, responding earlier Monday, expressed “serious concerns” about the offer. He argued that the proposed scope for Bill Clinton’s testimony was too limited and “would result in your client answering few questions.” Comer described the other conditions as “not reasonable” and “insufficient.” He also found the terms proposed for Hillary Clinton’s sworn declaration or appearance unacceptable.
The announcement of the Clintons’ offer was first made by Democratic Representative James Walkinshaw of Virginia during Monday night’s House Rules Committee meeting. The meeting was scheduled to advance the contempt resolutions toward floor votes in the coming days.
“I understand that the Clintons have agreed to appear for depositions and have agreed to the terms that you laid out in your most recent letter,” Walkinshaw told Comer during their appearance before the committee. Comer stated he was unaware of the offer beforehand.
According to a committee aide, the Clintons’ attorney emailed the committee with the offer while Comer was testifying. The situation remains fluid as the committee considers next steps in this high-profile investigation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/clintons-agree-to-testify-to-house-oversight-committee-ahead-of-expected-contempt-vote/
