Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalizedRep James Comer the chair of the House Oversight Committee was advancing criminal contempt of Congress charges against both Clintons Monday evening for defying a congressional subpoena when attorneys for the Clintons emailed staff for the Oversight panel saying the pair would accept Comers demands and will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable datesThe attorneys requested that Comer agree not to move forward with the contempt proceedings Comer however said he was not immediately dropping the charges which would carry the threat of a substantial fine and even incarceration if passed by the House and successfully prosecuted by the Department of Justice We dont have anything in writing Comer told reporters adding that he was open to accepting the Clintons offer but it depends on what they sayThe lastminute negotiating came as Republican leaders were advancing the contempt resolution through the House Rules Committee a final hurdle before it headed to the House floor for a vote It was potentially a grave moment for Congress the first time it could hold a former president in contempt and advance the threat of prison timeComer earlier Monday rejected an offer from attorneys for the Clintons to have Bill Clinton conduct a transcribed interview and Hillary Clinton submit a sworn declaration Comer was insisting that both Clintons sit for sworn depositions before the committee in order to fulfill the panels subpoenas A letter from the committee to attorneys for the Clintons indicates that they had offered for Bill Clinton to conduct a 4hour transcribed interview on matters related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and for Hillary Clinton to submit a sworn declarationThe Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas Comer a Kentucky Republican said The former president and secretary of state had resisted the subpoenas for months after the Oversight panel issued subpoenas for their testimony in August as it opened an investigation into Epstein and his associatesTheir attorney had tried to argue against the validity of the subpoenaHowever as Comer threatened to begin contempt of Congress proceedings the Clintons started negotiating towards a compromise The Republicancontrolled Oversight committee advanced criminal contempt of Congress charges last month Nine of the committees 21 Democrats joined Republicans in support of the charges against Bill Clinton as they argued for full transparency in the Epstein investigation Three Democrats also supported advancing the charges against Hillary ClintonBill Clintons relationship with Epstein has reemerged as a focal point for Republicans amid the push for a reckoning over Epstein who killed himself in 2019 in a New York jail cell as he faced sex trafficking charges Clinton like a bevy of other highpowered men had a welldocumented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s He has not been accused of wrongdoing in his interactions with the late financierThe Clintons remained highly critical of Comers decision saying he was bringing politics into the investigation while failing to hold the Trump administration accountable for delays in producing the Department of Justices case files on Epstein They negotiated in good faith You did not a spokesperson for the Clintons Angel Urena said in response to Comers threats on Monday They told you under oath what they know but you dont careStill the prospect of a vote raised the potential for Congress to use one of its most severe punishments against a former president for the first time Historically Congress has given deference to former presidents None has ever been forced to testify before lawmakers although a few have voluntarily done so House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier Monday that his caucus would have a discussion on the contempt resolutions later in the week but remained noncommittal on whipping votes against themJeffries said he was a hard no on contempt and accused Comer of focusing on political retribution rather than investigating the delayed release of case files Democrats also say the Justice Department has not yet released all the material it has on the late financier They dont want a serious interview they want a charade Jeffries saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever