Washington — Invoice and Hillary Clinton refused to look earlier than the Home Oversight Committee to testify as a part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, establishing a authorized confrontation because the Republican-led panel threatens to carry them in contempt of Congress.
Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the committee’s chairman, stated the panel will transfer subsequent week on holding former President Invoice Clinton in contempt. Comparable motion is predicted for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
If the committee votes to carry them in contempt, it will advance to the complete Home for a vote on whether or not to advocate the matter to the Justice Division for prosecution.
The panel subpoenaed the previous president and former secretary of state in August as a part of the investigation. The committee had requested that Invoice Clinton seem on Tuesday and Hillary Clinton on Wednesday.
In a separate eight-page letter to Comer, the Clintons’ attorneys made it clear they’d not seem for the closed-door questioning.
“President and Secretary Clinton have already offered the restricted data they possess about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the Committee,” the Clintons’ attorneys stated within the letter dated Jan. 12, which was obtained by CBS Information.
“They did so proactively and voluntarily, and even supposing the Subpoenas are invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a legitimate legislative goal, unwarranted as a result of they don’t search pertinent data, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers,” the letter stated.
In a separate letter to Comer on Tuesday that was signed by the Clintons, they famous that a number of different former officers have been subpoenaed as a part of the investigation and never compelled to testify. In August, the committee additionally subpoenaed former Attorneys Basic Merrick Garland, Invoice Barr, Alberto Gonzales, Jeff Periods, Loretta Lynch and Eric Holder, and former FBI Administrators James Comey and Robert Mueller.
“We’re assured that any affordable particular person in or out of Congress will see, primarily based on all the pieces we launch, that what you might be doing is making an attempt to punish those that you see as your enemies and to guard these you assume are your pals,” the Clintons wrote.
“Each particular person has to determine once they have seen or had sufficient and are able to combat for this nation, its ideas and its folks, irrespective of the implications,” they stated. “For us, now’s that point.”
The Clintons’ attorneys referred to as the hassle “nothing greater than a ploy to try to embarrass” President Trump’s political rivals. Final month, Mr. Trump referred to as on the Justice Division to launch any Epstein-related supplies that identify Democrats to “embarrass them.”
Invoice Clinton has appeared in pictures with Epstein and took a handful of journeys with him a long time in the past, however has not been accused of any wrongdoing. The supplies additionally include references to Mr. Trump, who additionally has not been accused of any misconduct.
“This subpoena was voted on in a bipartisan method by this committee,” Comer informed reporters Tuesday after the previous president failed to point out up. “Nobody’s accusing Invoice Clinton of any wrongdoing. We simply have questions.”
The Clintons’ authorized crew and the committee have been going backwards and forwards for months over the requested depositions. The committee initially requested they seem in October, however then delayed the date till December. Each Clintons declined the December dates, citing the necessity to attend a funeral.
Former presidents haven’t efficiently been compelled to testify earlier than Congress, however a number of have voluntarily answered questions from committees.
The Clintons’ attorneys referred to as on Comer to “interact in good religion to de-escalate this dispute.”
“Oversight Democrats have at all times stated that the Committee is keen to speak to any one who has details about Jeffrey Epstein,” Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Democrats on the committee, stated in an announcement. “Cooperating with Congress is vital and the Committee ought to proceed working with President Clinton’s crew to acquire any data that is likely to be related to our investigation.”
