Comer presses Clintons to testify on Epstein case, threatens 'contempt proceedings'

James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, pressed Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify in the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The Kentucky Republican gave the Clinton couple until Dec. 17 to respond to the subpoena, failing which he will initiate a "contempt proceeding to hold them accountable."

"It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes," Comer said in a statement.

"Throughout that time, the former President and former Secretary of State have delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the Committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony," he added.

In turn, he stated that, should the Clintons fail to testify next week or set a date for early January, "the Oversight Committee will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings to hold them accountable."

The subpoena to the Clintons was approved in July by a House Oversight Subcommittee. In addition to the powerful Democratic couple, other names subpoenaed included former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller; and former Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, William Barr, Merrick Garland, Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales.

One of those who already testified was Barr, who served as attorney general between 1991 and 1993, during the George H.W. Bush administration, as well as during part of the first Trump administration.

While Barr's testimony was behind closed doors, Comer revealed some details, "He said that he had never seen anything that would implicate President Trump in any of this, and that he believed if there had been anything pertaining to President Trump with respect to the Epstein list, that he felt like the Biden administration would probably have leaked it out."

In late November, President Trump signed into law the Epstein Records Transparency Act, which required the Justice Department to release all unclassified Epstein-related documents and records. The bill had passed by broad bipartisan majorities in both the Senate and the House.