The Clintons agreed to testify before Congress in the Epstein case after facing criminal charges.
Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in the US House Oversight Committee's investigation into convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein. The decision was made a few days before the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on holding the couple criminally liable for contempt of Congress. This was reported by The Public, citing The New York Times.
For several months, the Clintons refused to comply with subpoenas issued by the committee's chairman, Republican James Comer. They considered these demands to be legally unfounded and claimed that the investigation was politically motivated. However, after some Democrats on the committee supported the recommendation to hold them accountable, the couple's position changed.
The Clintons' lawyers announced that their clients were ready to appear for questioning on the agreed dates and asked Congress to refrain from voting on contempt of the legislative body. As a result, they agreed to all the committee's conditions, including no time limits on Bill Clinton's questioning and a wider range of questions.
The former president's testimony before Congress is almost unprecedented. The last time a former White House chief gave testimony was in 1983. Bill Clinton acknowledged his acquaintance with Epstein and several flights on his private jet in 2002-2003, but insists that he did not visit the financier's private island and cut off contact with him more than 20 years ago. Hillary Clinton says she never communicated with Epstein.
The investigation has become the latest episode in the long-running political feud between Republicans and the Clintons and has sparked controversy even within the Democratic Party.
