Clintons refuse to testify in Epstein inquiry
Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listen as President Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in as the 47th President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Bill and Hillary Clinton were ordered to testify starting on January 13, 2026, in the US Congress's investigation into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with Republicans warning they could face contempt charges if they fail to appear. If the pair refuse to comply, a contempt resolution would need approval from the full House before being referred to the Justice Department.
Image: Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP
Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have refused to comply with subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee investigating the government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
The committee had scheduled depositions for Bill Clinton on Tuesday and Hillary Clinton for Wednesday. However, in both an eight-page legal letter and a separately signed public statement, the Clintons declared the subpoenas “invalid and legally unenforceable.”
“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences,” the Clintons wrote.
Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, who left an empty chair at the deposition table to mark the former president’s absence, expressed disappointment and pledged a committee vote next week to hold Bill Clinton in contempt.
“No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of anything, any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” Comer told reporters. If the full House votes for contempt, the Justice Department would decide whether to prosecute.
The refusal comes as the Justice Department continues to release thousands of pages of files from its Epstein investigation. The first batch, made public in December 2025, featured numerous photographs of Bill Clinton with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, none of which included contextual details or dates.
Clinton’s documented ties to Epstein date to the late 1990s and early 2000s. Flight logs show Clinton and his entourage took multiple international trips on Epstein’s private jet – often referred to as the ‘Lolita Express’ – travelling to locations such as Bangkok, Brunei, Rwanda, Russia, and China. Epstein also visited the White House multiple times during Clinton’s presidency.
The Clintons have repeatedly said they possess no relevant information and had offered to provide sworn written statements, similar to other high-profile figures excused from live testimony. Their legal team argued that the subpoenas are a politically motivated effort to harass them and distract from President Donald Trump’s own alleged associations with Epstein.
Clinton’s spokesperson, Angel Urena, previously called for the release of all Epstein files, accusing the Justice Department of selectively releasing materials mentioning the former president to imply wrongdoing where none exists.
RT News