Clintons face contempt for stonewalling Congress Epstein depositions

Bill and Hillary Clinton's simmering battle with the House Oversight Chairman could reach a head this week if they still refuse to appear for in-person depositions regarding Jeffrey Epstein.

Republican James Comer has threatened to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress, which is typically the first step in referring individuals for prosecution with the Department of Justice.

He has set a deadline for the couple to appear on Wednesday or Thursday, or otherwise schedule a date in early January to do so. If they don't, the Congressman threatened to immediately start contempt proceedings against them.

The maximum sentence is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for those found guilty of criminal contempt.

The full Epstein files are expected to drop this week after Congress voted last month to release the documents. The President signed it into law with a deadline of December 19 for the full public release. 

The latest threat comes as Republicans push to shift the focus of the Epstein debacle away from Donald Trump and onto high-profile Democrats – such as Clinton and his wife, a former secretary of state.

All three are among the prominent individuals who were once associated with Epstein, a convicted child sex offender, and his longtime accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Democrats pressured Comer to subpoena the Justice Department for the files earlier this year.

Comer responded by issuing subpoenas in August for the Clintons to be deposed on their knowledge of Epstein's actions and crimes, as well as how they may have been involved.

And in a statement on Friday, Comer wrote: 'The former president and former secretary of state have delayed, obstructed and largely ignored the committee staff's efforts to schedule their testimony.

The Clintons' lawyer David Kendall claimed in a letter last week that Comer is attacking his clients with 'weaponized legislative investigations and targeted criminal prosecutions.'

'President Trump has consistently sought to divert attention from his own relationship with Mr Epstein and, unfortunately, the committee appears to be complicit,' Kendall wrote in the letter, which a Democratic lawmaker provided to the New York Times.

The Oversight Committee has subpoenaed multiple people to testify on Epstein. But former Trump attorney general Bill Barr is the only person who has appeared so far.

The committee excused former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller from giving live depositions and withdrew subpoenas for five former attorneys general who wrote to say they had no knowledge regarding the investigation.

But Comer has refused to excuse the Clintons, even though they provided the same sort of sworn statements.

He claims the former first couple have ignored his subpoenas and demands they appear for live testimonies or else be held in contempt.

Kendall, the Clintons' attorney, has sent three letters presenting his argument to the committee on why his clients should not be required to appear but instead provide sworn statements. One of which was provided to the Times.

He also met with Comer's staff in person to discuss the matter on September 30.

But those efforts have been fruitless and the chairman has responded by threatening to penalize the Clintons if they continue to refuse to show up for depositions before Congress.

The former president was among those acquainted with Epstein, but maintains he never visited his private island Little St James and had cut off contact decades ago.

Clinton did, however, take four international trips on Epstein's private jet – nicknamed the Lolita Express, in 2002 and 2003, according to flight logs.

And a photograph of Clinton and Epstein was released in a batch of images House Oversight Democrats published last week, highlighting the sex offender's links to powerful people. The image was undated and signed by the former president.

Trump, who was also associated with and was pictured alongside Epstein, said he kicked the disgraced financier out of his Mar-a-Lago club in 2007 and did not have a close relationship with him.