Clintons agree to depositions ahead of contempt of Congress vote

Ryan Tarinelli, CQ-Roll Call on Feb 2, 2026

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WASHINGTON — Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed Monday to appear for depositions as part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the House took steps to vote on contempt of Congress measures this week.

Attorneys for the Clintons informed the committee they accept terms outlined in a letter and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates.” The email asked the House not to move forward with contempt proceedings.

A spokesman for Bill Clinton, in a social media post, responded to a letter posted by Comer earlier Monday that had rejected an offer from the Clintons’ attorneys.

“They negotiated in good faith. You did not. They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care,” Angel Ureña wrote. “But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”

The New York Times first reported the email. The last-minute, behind-the-scenes negotiations unfolded as the House Rules Committee met Monday on an agenda that included rules for floor debate to consider contempt resolutions.

The Rules Committee returned from a recess and suspended the discussion on the Clinton measures, but Chairman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., did not immediately give a reason why.

Oversight Chairman James R. Comer, R-Ky., in an emailed statement, said he would take the development back to the Oversight committee members.

“The Clintons’ counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet again and they have provided no dates for their depositions. The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt,” Comer said. “I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.”

A House Oversight subcommittee panel voted to subpoena the Clintons last summer as part of the panel’s probe into Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a federal prison sentence. Bill Clinton had appeared in photos with Epstein.

The Oversight committee has said the Clintons declined deposition dates in mid-December, citing the need to attend a funeral, and then declined to propose a date for January.

The Oversight panel advanced contempt measures last month that concluded the Clintons’ “willful refusal to comply” with committee subpoenas “warrants referral to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for prosecution as prescribed by law.”

Earlier Monday, Comer rejected an offer from attorneys for the Clintons. He posted on social media that the Clintons do not get to “dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas” and the letter from the attorneys made clear the Clintons “still expect special treatment.”

Comer, in a letter posted on social media Monday, rejected the offer from the Clintons’ attorneys and referenced the terms he says the attorneys offered.

Comer, in the letter, said the panel believed that the offer would not lead to former President Clinton answering many questions. He also said the panel could not agree with a four-hour time limit on the former president’s testimony, saying that a time limit gives the witness an incentive to try to run out the clock.

Comer also rejected a request for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to provide a secondary sworn declaration “in lieu of appearing for a deposition,” according to the letter.

“Your clients’ desire for special treatment is both frustrating and an affront to the American people’s desire for transparency,” Comer wrote.

If the full House adopts contempt measures, the Justice Department would decide whether to pursue criminal charges against the duo, who have long been vilified by President Donald Trump.

During Trump’s second term, the Justice Department has shown a willingness to bring criminal charges against public figures at the direction of the president.

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