Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he plans to bring a contempt of Congress vote against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The move comes after Comer ended negotiations with the Clintons over testifying on their relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to The New York Times, Comer refused an offer to interview the former president under oath in Clinton’s New York office. He claimed the terms were unreasonable and vowed to move forward with a contempt vote Wednesday. The vote would be the first step in criminally prosecuting the Clintons, which could result in up to a year in prison and fines as high as $100,000 for each of them.
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Why did Comer reject the Clintons’ offer?
The Times reports that both parties held days of delicate negotiations over the conditions former President Clinton would sit for the interview. The former first family sought a compromise after Comer subpoenaed both in his investigation into Epstein.
Comer’s office said the Clintons’ offer was unjustified since it didn’t include an official transcript of the interview. One of the people The Times interviewed said the Clintons never ruled out a transcript.
How have the Clintons responded to the Epstein investigation?
The Clintons have repeatedly called for the Department of Justice to release all files pertaining to Epstein, including those that include the former president. The DOJ released several images of Clinton with Epstein or his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The former president took four international trips on Epstein’s private jet in 2002 and 2003. However, the Clintons said they never visited his private island.
They have previously given sworn legal statements to Comer following his subpoena, similar to seven others Comer subpoenaed. Comer later refused the Clintons’ statements, demanding they sit for questions. They said Comer is holding them to a different standard.
The Clintons’ legal team said this would be the first time in history that a former president sat for in-person testimony under oath to assist a congressional investigation, according to The Times.
The couple had offered to discuss subjects within the committee’s legislative scope, which meant discussing the Epstein investigation. They had raised concerns that the committee would be allowed to ask unrelated questions. However, Comer rejected the proposal and insisted the Clintons appear in front of the entire committee and there be no limits on what committee members could ask.
How does a contempt vote work?
If the Oversight Committee approves the vote, the motion then moves to the House floor for a full vote. If that passes, then it moves to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
According to The Times, House Democrats would be in a tough political position because a vote against the contempt vote could look like they are protecting the Clintons. However, a vote in favor of it sets a precedent. The Clintons said setting this precedent could open a Pandora’s box of issues regarding subpoenaing family members for Congressional investigations, saying Hillary Clinton’s subpoena was just a “bargaining chip to force her husband’s hand.”
“Republicans might want to think twice about making family fair game,” said Angel Ureña, spokesperson for former President Clinton.
