Clintons set to testify in House committee's Epstein investigation after contempt threat
Washington — Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to the House Oversight Committee's terms to testify as part of the panel's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a last-minute change of heart for the pair who had been defiant as they faced a contempt of Congress vote, the panel's chairman said Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton will appear for a deposition on Feb. 26, while the former president will appear on Feb. 27, the committee said. House Republicans said they will put the contempt proceedings on hold to ensure their compliance.
"Once it became clear that we would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month," Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said in a statement.
In a letter to the committee, the Clintons asked for a public hearing, saying "we now believe that will best suit our concerns about fairness."
A source familiar told CBS News the depositions will take place behind closed doors.
The House was expected to vote this week on holding the former president and former secretary of state in criminal contempt of Congress, but the plans were abruptly put on hold Monday when the Clintons' legal team alerted the committee that they would agree to the committee's terms.
Comer appeared to be caught off guard by the news and said he was seeking clarification on what they were agreeing to. The House Rules Committee then postponed consideration of the contempt resolutions.
Over the weekend, the Clintons' legal team proposed that Bill Clinton would sit for a four-hour transcribed interview in New York City that should be restricted to matters related to the investigations into Epstein. Hillary Clinton would offer another sworn declaration, but if the committee required her in-person appearance, it should follow the same terms as her husband's testimony, the lawyers said.
Comer rejected the offer, calling it "unreasonable."
That led to Monday night's email from the Clintons' legal team, saying the pair "accept the terms of your letter and will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates."
The acceptance marks a stark turn for the Clintons, who had argued the House Oversight Committee's subpoenas seeking their testimony were "invalid and legally unenforceable."
"Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences," the Clintons said in a letter to the committee in January as they refused to appear for depositions. "For us, now is that time."
In response to a question from CBS News, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said Tuesday that "contempt is on pause to ensure that everybody goes through with their obligations."
Comer, however, later told reporters that contempt "is still on the table."
"The contempt of Congress is for failing to show up," he said. "This will be their third date that we've given the Clintons and three strikes, and you're out."
The Clintons' legal team and the House Oversight Committee have been going back and forth for months over the requested depositions. The committee initially requested they appear in October, but then delayed the date until December. Both Clintons declined the December dates, citing the need to attend a funeral. The Clintons declined to show up for the January dates set by the committee.
After the couple failed to appear, the committee voted to recommend holding them both in contempt. Nine Democrats voted to advance the resolution related to Bill Clinton, while three Democrats supported the Hillary Clinton measure.
Both submitted sworn declarations to the committee in January about their relations with Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence on sex trafficking charges.
In his declaration, Bill Clinton said Epstein offered his private plane to the former president, his staff and his Secret Service detail in support of the Clinton Foundation's philanthropic work between 2002 and 2003. He denied ever visiting Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where a number of the late financier's alleged crimes occurred, and maintained that he had not been in contact with Epstein for more than a decade before his 2019 arrest.
Hillary Clinton, in her declaration, said she did not recall encountering Epstein or any specific interactions with him. She also said she never flew on his plane or visited his private island.
The Clintons also did not recall when they met Maxwell or their interactions with her, but said she later was in a relationship with a mutual friend of theirs. They did not remember exactly when their last interaction with Maxwell was, beyond "many years ago."
"To be clear, I had no idea of Mr. Epstein's or Ms. Maxwell's criminal activities," their declarations said.
"And, irrespective of any intent either may have ever had, I did not take any action for the purpose of helping them to avoid any type of scrutiny," Bill Clinton's declaration added.