Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have reached an agreement with House Republicans to testify in the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to pressure from lawmakers and the threat of a contempt of Congress vote.
Under the agreement, Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify on February 26 and Bill Clinton on February 27 before the committee. This arrangement marks the first time that Congress has compelled a former president to appear for testimony in such an investigation.
The deal comes after months of negotiation between the Clintons and House Republicans. Initially, both Clintons resisted subpoenas from the committee, dismissing them as legally invalid and refusing to appear in person. Republican lawmakers — with support from a small number of Democrats — had advanced criminal contempt of Congress resolutions that would have subjected the couple to possible fines or imprisonment if they were convicted.
The Oversight Committee’s inquiry focuses on Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, and his network. Republicans have sought testimony from numerous figures connected to Epstein, though neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing in the case.
Despite earlier resistance, the Clintons agreed to give transcribed testimony behind closed doors, with video recording and official transcripts to be provided to the committee. Details remain subject to further negotiation, including whether any portion of the testimony will be made public.
The negotiations highlighted deep political tensions in Washington, as Republicans aimed to make the Clintons a central focus of the Epstein probe, while the former first couple and their allies characterized the effort as politically motivated.