00:00Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are now facing mounting
00:11pressure from Congress as a powerful House committee insists they sit for in-person
00:17depositions regarding their connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
00:22According to the Centre Square, the House Oversight Committee is threatening contempt
00:26of Congress proceedings if the Clintons continue pushing to avoid testifying in person.
00:33Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, says the committee's subpoenas, issued in
00:38August, are part of a broader investigation into Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell
00:44and a number of high-profile individuals who maintained relationships with them.
00:51In letters reported by both the Centre Square and Straight Arrow News, the Clintons' attorney,
00:55David Kendall, argued that in-person testimony is unnecessary.
01:01Kendall wrote that the couple has little to contribute, all of which can be readily submitted
01:06on paper.
01:08What we have learned over the years about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is abhorrent.
01:16The public's demand for transparency from its government about their criminality is both
01:22understandable and warranted.
01:24Former President Clinton and former Secretary Clinton welcome legitimate oversight in this
01:30matter that is grounded in fact.
01:33In that regard, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary Hillary Clinton have little
01:39to contribute to that legitimate goal, all of which can be readily submitted on paper.
01:47Comer rejected that request, stating that Congress is entitled to a fulsome examination and emphasising
01:54that relevant follow-up questions can only be asked in person.
01:58He added that any attempt to avoid the subpoenas would constitute defiance and grounds for contempt.
02:07Straight Arrow News reported that the House Oversight Committee has now officially informed the
02:12Clintons they must appear for depositions on December 17th and 18th in Washington, D.C.,
02:18following bipartisan approval of the subpoenas earlier this year.
02:22Comer underscored that the Committee is specifically interested in the Clintons' personal connections
02:27to Epstein and Maxwell, not actions they took in their official government capacities.
02:34The subpoenas stem from well-documented interactions detailed in the center square.
02:39Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's private jet multiple times between 2002 and 2003, including
02:46one flight where he was photographed receiving a massage from one of Epstein's victims.
02:51He also attended a 2014 dinner with Ghislaine Maxwell, three years after media reports had
02:57surfaced about Maxwell's involvement in Epstein's criminal activities.
03:03Hillary Clinton was subpoenaed in part because she hired Maxwell's nephew for her 2008 presidential
03:09campaign and later for a position at the State Department during her tenure as Secretary
03:14of State.
03:17If the Clintons do appear next month, Straight Arrow News reports their testimony is expected
03:22to take place behind closed doors.
03:25Some members of Congress, like Repra Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, have already suggested that
03:30jail time could be on the table if the Clintons refuse to comply.
03:36This wouldn't be unprecedented.
03:39During the January 6th investigation, Democratic lawmakers sent criminal referrals for Steve
03:44Bannon and Peter Navarro to the Justice Department after they refused to comply with subpoenas,
03:50leading to convictions and eventually prison time.
03:54With that history in mind, several members of Congress now argue that similar consequences
03:59should apply regardless of political affiliation.
04:04As the Epstein investigation continues to widen, the House Oversight Committee has issued subpoenas
04:10to former Attorneys General Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions, former FBI Director Robert Mueller,
04:16and others, some of whom have already testified.
04:19The committee has also obtained over 20,000 documents from the Department of Justice as part
04:24of its ongoing inquiry.
04:28Meanwhile, public interest in the Epstein case remains high.
04:32The Center Square notes speculation intensified after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi commented
04:38publicly on an alleged Epstein client list before the Trump administration walked back the claim.
04:45Bill Clinton isn't the only former president to face questions.
04:49Donald Trump also faced renewed scrutiny after the Wall Street Journal published a birthday
04:54letter allegedly from him to Epstein, a letter Trump has denied writing.
05:02With the December deposition dates approaching, Congress appears determined to finally get the
05:07Clintons under oath regarding what they knew about Epstein, their interactions with him, and
05:12what those connections may reveal about the most notorious sex traffickers in modern history.
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