The U.S. House Oversight Committee had requested former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, to appear for closed-door testimony on 13 and 14/1. This was part of an investigation into their connections with pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of pedophilia, sexual assault, and operating a prostitution ring.

However, the Clintons’ lawyers sent a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, asserting that the two would not comply with the subpoena.

"While there is still plenty of work to do to improve the country, you are pushing Congress to the brink of gridlock in pursuit of a rarely used process, clearly designed to send us to prison. This is not how to cure America's ailments, and we will vigorously defend ourselves", the couple wrote in the letter, which was released on social media on 13/1.

The Clintons argue that the current investigation by the House Oversight Committee, led by Mr. Comer, is "against the law" and lacks fairness. While Mr. Comer allowed some other former officials to provide written statements about Epstein, his committee "selectively enforced subpoenas" against them.

Former President Bill Clinton (left) and his wife Hillary Clinton at President Donald Trump's inauguration on 20/1. *Photo: AFP*

The Clintons' lawyers stated that their clients had provided all information they knew about Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. The lawyers condemned Mr. Comer's subpoena as "a plot to embarrass political opponents" of President Donald Trump. The Clinton family also argued that the subpoena is "invalid and unenforceable" because it does not serve a legislative purpose.

After receiving the letter, Mr. Comer announced that he would initiate the process to pursue "contempt of Congress" charges against the Clintons next week. He affirmed that the committee is not accusing the Clintons of "doing anything wrong" and only wants them to appear to answer some questions.

The Republican congressman stated that he had worked with Mr. Clinton's legal team for months, but they repeatedly delayed. Ultimately, the former U.S. president did not appear as scheduled on 13/1. A similar measure could be applied to Ms. Hillary if she does not appear for testimony as scheduled on 14/1.

The Clintons could face a criminal sentence if convicted of "contempt of Congress". Two former White House officials, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, were previously convicted of contempt of Congress for not cooperating with the committee investigating the Capitol Hill riot on 6/1/2021. Both received 4-month prison sentences and fines.

Tensions are escalating as Republicans face pressure over the U.S. Department of Justice’s slow release of Epstein files, despite bipartisan calls. The agency has also not fully complied with the committee’s subpoenas for Epstein-related documents.

Former President Bill Clinton (left) photographed with Epstein. *Photo: BBC*

Two congressmen co-sponsoring legislation to compel the public release of investigation documents, Ro Khanna of the Democratic Party and Thomas Massie of the Republican Party, sent a letter to federal judge Paul A. Engelmayer, requesting the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee the document release.

They expressed "urgent and deep concern" about the Department of Justice's failure to meet the deadline for public disclosure. Out of more than two million files under review, only about 12,000 documents have been released. The Department of Justice stated that the delay in releasing the files is due to the agency's need to redact information to protect victims' identities.

Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in early 12/2025 contained information about many prominent figures, including President Trump, former President Clinton, Prince Andrew of the UK, and pop icon Michael Jackson.

The Epstein files contain several images of Mr. Clinton, such as a photo of him relaxing in a hot tub and swimming in a pool with two women, one of whom is obscured and the other appears to be Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's accomplice.

Former President Bill Clinton appears in the Epstein files. *Photo: BBC*

In the 1990s-2000s, former President Clinton was photographed with Epstein multiple times before the latter's arrest. Mr. Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein's victims and has maintained that he was unaware of the billionaire's crimes.

Appearing in the Epstein files does not mean involvement in the pedophile billionaire's criminal activities. Many individuals mentioned in the files have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

"There are two types of people here. One is those who knew nothing and cut ties with Epstein before his crimes were exposed. The second is those who maintained a relationship with Epstein. Mr. Clinton is in the first group", a spokesperson for the former U.S. president stated.

Thanh Danh (According to AP, Politico)