The latest development in Congress’s investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein files may spell trouble for Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee led the advancement of two resolutions criminally charging both Clintons with contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas to testify about their ties to the deceased pedophile.
The committee votes were 34-8-2 in favor of Bill Clinton’s resolution and 28-15-1 for Hillary Clinton’s.
Nine Democrats voted for Bill Clinton’s contempt resolution while only three Democrats voted for Hillary’s.
Committee Chairman James Comer succeeded in convincing a significant portion of members that the Clintons were defying the subpoenas.
Despite the Clintons’ willingness to speak with committee staff and negotiate a date and format for questioning, Comer dismissed five months of talks as a ‘stall tactic.’ He accused them of trying to run out the clock on the Republican-led investigation until the next Congress.
To avoid contempt charges, the Clintons’ lawyers offered Comer and ranking Democrat Robert Garcia a meeting with Bill Clinton alone in New York without an official transcript—an offer Comer rejected.
A Clinton spokesman pushed back on that assertion on Tuesday on X, saying the Clintons ‘never said no to a transcript.’
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (top right) (R-KY) speaks during a hearing at the U.S. Capitol January 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. The full committee was expected to vote on a markup of a resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress
Former President Bill Clinton and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein picture in an undated photograph released by the Department of Justice
President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary dance at the Arkansas Ball on inauguration night, January 20, 1993, in Wahsington, DC
‘Interviews are on the record and under oath. Whether it was written or typed isn’t why this is happening. If that were the last or only issue, we’d be in a different position. You keep misdirecting to protect you-know-who and God knows what,’ the spokesman said.
California Democratic Rep. Dave Min argued the contempt resolution amounts to political theater, not accountability. Min voted ‘present’ on both resolutions.
Asked by the Daily Mail about Min’s ‘present’ vote following Wednesday’s hearing, Comer said he doesn’t even know why such a vote exists, but that it was ‘probably better’ than a no vote.
Wednesday’s hearing focused on resolutions to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas about their relationship with Epstein.
Republicans insisted the Clintons must testify, while Democrats called the focus politically motivated.
But Comer said he wanted information from any relevant source, also announced that Ghislaine Maxwell will sit for a congressional deposition on February 9.
‘I agree that we need to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell,’ Comer said. He admitted his staff has ‘been trying to get her in for a deposition. Our lawyers have been saying that she’s going to plead the fifth, but we have nailed down a date, February 9, where Ghislaine Maxwell will be deposed by this committee.’
However, Maxwell’s lawyers have ‘made it clear that she’s going to plead the fifth.’
‘I hope she changes her mind, because I want to hear from her,’ Comer added.
Democrat Ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia, claimed a victory for Comer, summoning Maxwell to testify, noting in a statement posted on X that the action was a result of his party’s pressure campaign.
Garcia also noted that ‘the coverup in continuing’ as Maxwell has ‘gotten special treatment from the DOJ for months.’
Democrats also tried to include the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Pam Bondi in the contempt of Congress charges, as all of the Epstein Files have still not been released despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act being passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in November of 2025.
Ohio Democratic Representative Shontel Brown said during Wednesday’s hearing that 99 percent of the Epstein Files are still with the Department.
Comer himself said Wednesday that even he would like to see the files released at a faster pace.
‘Attorney General Bondi, the Department of Justice, are producing documents, while the pace is slower than any of us would prefer, and must speed up,’ Comer noted.
