Clintons Under Threat of Contempt Charges After Four Months Ignoring Subpoenas

By Michael Katz | Friday, 12 December 2025 07:53 PM EST

The chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform warned Bill and Hillary Clinton on Friday that they face charges of contempt of Congress if they ignore subpoenas and refuse to testify next week or in early January about their associations with Jeffrey Epstein.

In July, the Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee approved by voice vote a motion to issue subpoenas to 10 individuals, including the former president and former secretary of state. The subpoenas sought testimony related to crimes committed by the late convicted sex offender and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., issued the subpoenas in August to compel testimony from 10 individuals, including the Clintons. Although the Clintons were initially set to be deposed in October, Comer said in November that after discussions with their attorney, David Kendall, the dates were pushed back to Dec. 17 for Bill Clinton and Dec. 18 for Hillary Clinton.

“It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes,” Comer said in a statement. “Throughout that time, the former President and former Secretary of State have delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the Committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony.

“If the Clintons fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January, the Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings to hold them accountable.”

Comer’s statement came hours after Democrats on the committee released a selection of photos from Epstein’s estate, including images of President Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Britain’s Prince Andrew. The 19 photos released were a small portion of more than 95,000 provided to the committee from Epstein’s estate.

Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while in federal custody awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Bill Clinton’s ties to Epstein, a wealthy financier, have been publicly known for years. His association included traveling on Epstein’s private plane after he left office.

A spokesperson for the former president reportedly said Clinton cut ties with Epstein before his 2019 arrest and was unaware of Epstein’s alleged crimes. Those past associations have come under renewed scrutiny as Congress presses for the release of Epstein-related investigative records and testimony from individuals with prior ties to Epstein.

The other individuals subpoenaed include former Attorneys General Merrick Garland, Bill Barr, Alberto Gonzales, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, and Eric Holder, as well as former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller. Sessions and Barr served as attorneys general during Trump’s first term.

Michael Katz is a reporter with more than 30 years of experience covering news, culture, and politics.