Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before a congressional committee investigating the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, averting a looming vote to hold them in criminal contempt.
The decision comes after a months-long standoff with the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, which had approved a measure late last month to hold the couple in contempt for initially refusing to comply with subpoenas. A vote on the contempt resolution was expected this week.
In a post on social media platform X, Clinton deputy chief of staff Angel Ureña confirmed the agreement, though a date for the depositions has not been set.
“They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care,” Ureña wrote, addressing the committee. “But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there.”
The appearance will mark the first time a former U.S. president has testified before a congressional panel since Gerald Ford in 1983.
Bill Clinton was acquainted with Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Clinton has previously denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and stated he cut off contact with him nearly two decades ago. He has never been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s survivors.
The Clintons had earlier dismissed the committee’s subpoenas as a politically motivated “ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals,” alleging direction from former President Donald Trump.
They maintained they had already provided sworn statements and the “limited information” they possessed regarding Epstein.
The Oversight Committee’s investigation is part of broader congressional efforts to examine Epstein’s network and the handling of his case by institutions and powerful associates.
