The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), is escalating pressure on Bill and Hillary Clinton to appear for in-person depositions as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. According to a recent New York Times report, the Clintons have repeatedly offered to provide sworn written statements instead. However, Comer has insisted they must appear in person before the committee on December 17 and 18 or face contempt of Congress proceedings.
The House Oversight Committee expanded the scope of the investigation after a bipartisan vote in July 2025, which included Democrat support for subpoenas targeting the Department of Justice. Following that vote, Chairman Comer issued subpoenas to the Clintons in August 2025 as part of the committee’s broader investigation into the federal government’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and his associations with public officials.
Several officials — including James Comey, Robert Mueller, and five former attorneys general — were excused from in-person testimony after submitting statements asserting they had no relevant information. Only former Attorney General William Barr provided in-person testimony. The Clintons, through their attorney, have offered to provide sworn written statements, but the committee has maintained that live depositions are necessary and has not granted the same exemption.
In correspondence with the committee, David Kendall, counsel to the Clintons, reiterated their position that live testimony was not necessary. He met with committee staff on September 30 to discuss the request and pointed to the former officials who had been excused. In an October 6 letter, Kendall wrote, “There is simply no reasonable justification for compelling a former president and secretary of state to appear personally, given that their time and roles in government had no connection to the matter at hand.”
He added, “We submit that the Clintons likewise do not have knowledge relevant to the committee’s investigation.” Regarding Mrs. Clinton, Kendall wrote that she had “no personal knowledge of Epstein or Maxwell’s criminal activities,” had “never flown on his aircraft, never visited his island and cannot recall ever speaking to Epstein.” For Mr. Clinton, Kendall stated that he ended contact with Epstein two decades ago and “has expressed regret for even that limited association.” In a December 10 letter, Kendall wrote, “We remain ready, as we have been for months, to provide sworn statements to satisfy the committee’s oversight efforts,”
In public statements, Chairman Comer said the Clintons have “delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored” committee staff efforts to schedule their depositions. In a December 13 statement, Comer stated that if the Clintons do not appear for their scheduled depositions or provide dates in early January, the committee would begin contempt of Congress proceedings. A spokesperson for Comer told Fox News that the committee views the Clintons’ position as an effort to avoid complying with the subpoenas and remarked that the former president and former secretary of state “believe they are above the law.”
The committee’s justification for requiring Mrs. Clinton’s appearance reportedly included a former staffer’s connection to Ghislaine Maxwell — specifically, Alexander Djerassi, who worked for Clinton during her 2008 campaign and at the State Department. Kendall maintained that Mrs. Clinton was unaware of Djerassi’s familial relationship to Maxwell and contended the connection was not grounds for a deposition.
The Clintons’ spokespersons echoed Kendall’s concerns. Angel Ureña, speaking for Bill Clinton, asserted the couple had been offering “the same exact thing” that was accepted from others and received no explanation for why that was inadequate. Nick Merrill, spokesman for Hillary Clinton, questioned why she was included at all, saying that he “hasn’t been able to come up with an answer.”
In a letter responding to the continued focus on his clients, attorney David Kendall suggested that the committee appeared to be staging “a public spectacle for partisan purposes.” Philippe Reines, a former aide to Mrs. Clinton, declared Republicans would “pay a political price” for their “endless vendetta against the Clintons.”
Breitbart News previously reported that Bill Clinton admitted in his 2024 memoir that he flew on Epstein’s plane for international trips related to the Clinton Global Initiative but denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of criminal activities. Flight logs and additional records show that Clinton took more flights than previously acknowledged, with some trips occurring without Secret Service accompaniment. A photograph of Clinton with Epstein, signed by the former president, was recently released by House Democrats alongside other evidence.
As noted in court documents and media coverage, Epstein visited the White House multiple times in 1993 and was a known donor to Democrat campaigns. Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged that Clinton was seen on Epstein’s private island, though Clinton has consistently denied being there. Ghislaine Maxwell, in a 2016 deposition, also denied that Clinton visited the island but acknowledged he had flown on Epstein’s jet.
