Bill and Hillary Clinton Agree to Testify Before House Oversight Committee in Epstein Inquiry

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in the House Oversight Committee's Jeffrey Epstein inquiry, backing down after weeks of refusing to appear and facing the prospect of a House vote to hold them in criminal contempt of Congress. Their attorneys told committee staff that the Clintons accept Chairman James Comer's terms and «will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates», while asking Republicans to halt the contempt process. Comer said he would not drop the effort immediately, telling reporters: «We don't have anything in writing», and adding that any deal would depend on finalized terms.

The committee's pressure campaign accelerated after Comer rejected earlier Clinton proposals that would have avoided full depositions. According to reporting, Bill Clinton had offered a transcribed interview and Hillary Clinton a sworn declaration, but Comer insisted both comply with in-person, sworn depositions under the committee's rules. «The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas,» Comer said, as the panel moved contempt resolutions through procedural steps toward a potential floor vote. The Oversight Committee had issued subpoenas in August, and the contempt push gained unusual bipartisan support in committee, with some Democrats voting to advance the measures in the name of transparency.

Their agreement arrives amid a surge of new disclosures tied to Epstein, after the Justice Department released a massive tranche of investigative material under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. DOJ said it published more than 3 million additional pages on Jan. 30 in compliance with the law, which it noted was signed by Trump on Nov. 19, 2025, and it has continued posting materials to an official Epstein Library webpage. The release has been accompanied by controversy over redactions and victim protections, with AP reporting DOJ pulled thousands of documents and media files after inadequate redactions exposed sensitive victim information.

As the document releases expanded, renewed attention has focused on the range of prominent names that appear across Epstein-related materials and images. AP and PBS reporting on the latest disclosures describe references to wealthy and politically connected figures, and House Oversight Committee Democrats have separately released photos from Epstein's estate that include images of Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as other high-profile individuals such as Bill Gates and Prince Andrew, while noting that the context, time frame, and location of many photos are unclear. The disclosures have fueled fresh calls for accountability alongside debates over what the files do and do not establish.

Trump has sought to steer the political narrative toward Democrats, repeatedly framing Epstein as a problem for his opponents while demanding scrutiny of figures such as Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. In one statement reported by France 24, Trump wrote: «Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat's problem, not the Republican's problem!», adding: «Don't waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!» That posture has informed Republican messaging around the Oversight probe, with Comer and allies emphasizing Clinton's past proximity to Epstein while also acknowledging Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in those interactions.

But the same files and photo releases have repeatedly pulled Trump back into the frame, complicating efforts to make the controversy a one-party story. The Justice Department release described by AP centers on what investigators knew about Epstein's abuse and his interactions with the rich and powerful, including Trump, while congressional Democrats have highlighted Trump's presence in Epstein estate photos as part of their transparency push. Against that backdrop, critics argue that Trump's focus on Democrats functions as a political shield, even as official releases continue to surface material in which his name and image appear alongside other prominent figures connected to Epstein's orbit.

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