Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation

Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton agreed Monday to testify before the House Oversight Committee in its investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a staffer.

The decision came days before the Republican-led House was expected to vote on holding the two prominent Democrats in contempt of Congress. The House Oversight Committee had recommended last week that they be held in contempt for refusing to appear in person at scheduled hearings.

The Clintons had previously offered to cooperate with the panel but declined to appear in person, characterizing the investigation as a partisan exercise aimed at protecting Republican President Donald Trump. They stated they had already provided the limited information they possessed about their relationship with Epstein.

James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, said Monday that he would require both Clintons to sit for a sworn deposition before the committee in order to fulfill the panel's subpoenas. The committee had issued two resolutions recommending that the full House declare the couple guilty of criminal contempt of Congress, a charge that could result in criminal prosecution.

Angel Ureña, a spokesman for the Clintons, responded to Comer on social media, stating that the couple had negotiated in good faith and told the committee under oath what they know. "But the former president and the former secretary of state will be there," Ureña said. "They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone."

The Clintons had previously resisted complying with the subpoenas issued by the Republican-majority committee, arguing the citations were invalid and legally unenforceable, and part of a political effort to target them as opponents of Trump. Some Democrats on the House Oversight Committee had joined Republicans in recommending the contempt charges, an extraordinary step that would have referred the matter to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution.

The agreement to testify averted the planned contempt vote in the House this week.