Former U.S. president Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, announced on january 13 that they would not comply with a subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee.

The subpoena demanded their appearance before the committee to answer questions about their relationship with financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of child sex abuse, sexual assault, and operating a prostitution ring.

Former president Bill Clinton and his wife attend the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral on 19/1/2025. Photo: AP

In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, the Clintons stated: "Each person must decide what their breaking point is and be prepared to fight for their country, for principles, and for the people, no matter the consequences. For us, that time is now." They criticized the House Oversight Committee's investigation as "legally baseless", accusing Chairman Comer and Republicans of eagerly pursuing a process "clearly designed to imprison us."

Former president Bill Clinton did not appear for questioning on january 13, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton also stated she would not appear at the january 14 hearing. Meanwhile, Comer warned he would initiate contempt of congress proceedings against them next week for refusing to comply with the subpoena. "No one has accused the Clintons of any wrongdoing," he said. "We simply have questions that need to be answered."

The subpoena for the former U.S. president and his wife stemmed from recently released U.S. Department of Justice documents. These documents repeatedly show Bill Clinton appearing at Epstein's mansion and on his private plane. One photograph depicts the former president shirtless in a hot tub alongside a person whose face is obscured. Other images show him in a swimming pool next to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's girlfriend and accomplice. A third woman, also with an obscured face, is seen swimming with him and Maxwell.

The House Oversight Committee has investigated Epstein's crimes and his connections to various politicians and celebrities for decades before his death in prison. In recent months, the committee has released thousands of documents and images from the "Epstein files", a collection of records the U.S. Department of Justice gathered about the pedophile financier.

According to experts from the Syracuse University Law Journal, the U.S. Congress has the authority to charge individuals with contempt for obstructing its duties. Customarily, contempt of congress charges are used to punish those who refuse to appear or provide testimony during a congressional hearing or investigation. "To charge an individual with contempt, only a majority vote in either chamber of congress is required," stated the Syracuse University experts.

Following the House Oversight Committee meeting next week, House Republican leaders may schedule a floor vote on the contempt of congress charge against the Clintons. If the charge passes, the case will be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice, which will then decide whether to pursue prosecution. Should the U.S. Department of Justice decide to prosecute, the Clintons would face criminal charges. "Prosecutions for contempt of congress are rare, but violators can be fined or sentenced to up to one year in prison," the Syracuse University experts noted.

Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Trump, received a four-month prison sentence in 2022 after refusing to testify in the U.S. Congress's investigation into the january 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot. Former attorney general Eric Holder was also cited for contempt of congress in 2012 for refusing to hand over documents, but was ultimately not prosecuted.

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

According to Chairman Comer, the committee issued the subpoena for specific reasons: Epstein visited the White House 17 times when Bill Clinton was president, and Clinton himself flew on Epstein's private jet approximately 27 times after leaving office. "To my knowledge, former president Clinton has never answered questions about Epstein. We simply have inquiries because I believe everyone would acknowledge they spent significant time together both during his presidency and after he left office," Comer said.

The former president Clinton has never been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein by an executive branch agency. A spokesperson for Clinton has repeatedly asserted that he severed ties with Epstein before his 2019 arrest on federal charges and was unaware of Epstein's crimes.

Law professor Jonathan Shaub at the University of Kentucky observed that congressional subpoenas are a crucial oversight tool. However, he noted that "in recent decades, this tool has increasingly been used to serve political objectives or to expose damaging material about opponents, rather than to gather information congress genuinely needs for legislation." According to Shaub, if the U.S. Department of Justice prosecutes the Clintons based on the House resolution, it "could spark a legal battle with broader implications, as precedents related to contempt of congress charges are still quite limited."

Vu Hoang (According to NPR, CNN, AFP, Reuters)