Even the Dems whack the Clintons on Epstein!

I'm not surprised the GOP members of the committee voted to hold Hillary and Bill in contempt, but half the Dems on the committee did also!

Congress Turns Up Heat on Clintons Over Epstein Ties

Some Democrats join Republicans on House Oversight Committee to find former president and secretary of state in contempt

By Olivia Beavers, Anvee Bhutani and Khadeeja Safdar, WSJ

Updated Jan. 21, 2026 6:21 pm ET

A House committee voted to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for not appearing for depositions regarding Jeffrey Epstein.

WASHINGTON—A GOP-led House committee voted to find former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress on Wednesday, drawing significant Democratic support after the Clintons declined to appear for depositions regarding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The House Oversight Committee voted 34-8 to back a contempt finding for Bill Clinton, with about half of the committee’s Democrats joining all Republicans in favor. Two Democrats voted present. The vote on Hillary Clinton got some Democratic backing as well, with a tally of 28-15, with one Democrat voting present.

The monthslong standoff between the Republican-run legislative branch and the Democratic power couple now heads to a vote in the full House.

Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.), chairman of the committee, said ahead of Wednesday’s committee vote that the Clintons “must be held accountable for their actions.” He said Democrats, who have pushed for more Epstein disclosures, “must support these measures, or they will be exposed as hypocrites.”

Much of the debate focused on what Democrats cast as unequal treatment of the Clintons, saying the committee was pressuring them but not other figures tied to Epstein or officials responsible for turning over Epstein-related files, such as Attorney General Pam Bondi. In particular, Democrats saw Hillary Clinton as being dragged into the fight unnecessarily.

But ultimately nine committee Democrats voted for compelling Bill Clinton to appear—and three for Hillary as well—even if it meant siding with Republicans over two of the most storied figures in their party. Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan voted to hold both Clintons in contempt.

“We should hold anybody connected to Epstein in contempt who will not give us information,” Tlaib said. “The survivors deserve transparency and justice.”

The Clintons argued in a letter to Comer that the subpoenas were invalid, saying they lacked legitimate legislative purpose and amounted to an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers. The Clintons have said any effort to enforce the subpoenas, which demanded they appear on Capitol Hill earlier this month, would be aimed at embarrassing them.

A contempt of Congress finding by the full House would allow lawmakers to refer a subpoena dispute to prosecutors or the courts. While rare, such cases sometimes result in criminal penalties. President Trump’s advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro served prison sentences after being convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The Clintons, whose ties to Epstein date to the 1990s, said in statements to the committee that they had no personal knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities. Bill Clinton said he had accepted Epstein’s offer of his jet for Clinton Foundation activities and never visited Epstein’s private island.

The clash tests Congress’s authority in compelling testimony from former presidents. Ahead of the committee vote, the Clintons made an offer to allow the top committee members to go to New York and interview Bill Clinton, with questions focused on Epstein-related topics. Allies also noted that other subpoenaed officials had been allowed to provide statements but not provide depositions.

“We have cooperated,” said Angel Ureña, a spokesman for the Clintons.

“One thing we know about Bill Clinton: He can’t write a letter and say he doesn’t know anything,” Comer said in an interview. He said the offer from the Clinton camp wasn’t acceptable, and “more importantly, he doesn’t get to make the rules.”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), a senior member of the committee, argued that the panel should first fight the Justice Department for the full release of Epstein documents and then seek to hear from the Clintons. He voted no on contempt for both Clintons.

“The Clintons should come and testify once the files are released. Anything not focused on releasing the files is political theater,” Khanna said.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listen during a state funeral.

The Clintons have argued that the subpoenas are invalid. Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

Congress voted last year to force the release of Epstein materials by the Justice Department, over the initial objections of Trump and GOP leadership, but critics have accused the administration of stalling. An initial tranche of documents was made public late last year. The Justice Department said because of the large amount of material and need for redactions, a full release would need more time.

Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), who co-sponsored the Epstein legislation, asked a federal judge to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the release of the files, but their request was denied Wednesday morning.

Comer also said he has scheduled a deposition on Feb. 9 with Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of Epstein who was convicted for her role in helping him sexually abuse underage girls.

Epstein’s ties to Bill Clinton go as far back as the early 1990s. In 1993, Epstein and Maxwell attended a donors’ reception with then-President Clinton, and White House visitor logs show Epstein made several additional visits during this period.

A decade later, Clinton flew repeatedly on Epstein’s private plane for foundation work promoting global health, including a high-profile Africa trip in 2002 with actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker to tour HIV/AIDS project sites.

Clinton was listed as a “friend” in the table of contents of Epstein’s 50th birthday album, compiled by Maxwell in 2003. A handwritten note with his signature praised Epstein’s “childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends.”

Files released by the Justice Department in December 2025 included several photographs of Clinton. One showed him in a hot tub beside a person whose face was redacted, along with additional images of Clinton with Epstein. Being mentioned in the files isn’t an indication of wrongdoing.

It is unpredictable what would happen if the Justice Department pursued a contempt prosecution, said Kim Hamm, a former general counsel for onetime House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Congressional Investigations and Securities Enforcement practices. “The House could get a bad ruling, a ruling that sort of agrees with the Clintons. It is also very possible it could be a very positive ruling,” she said.

In 2008, Epstein reached a controversial deal with federal prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and procuring a minor to engage in prostitution. He was arrested a second time on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and died in jail awaiting trial. A medical examiner ruled it suicide.

Democrats say that Comer and other Republicans are failing to investigate Trump’s connections with Epstein. Trump and Epstein socialized in the 1990s and 2000s when they were Palm Beach neighbors; Trump has said he cut off ties before Epstein’s 2008 plea. In the 2003 birthday album, a letter bearing Trump’s signature ran with a drawing of a naked woman. Trump has called it fake and denied writing the letter.