Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are set to face closed-door depositions before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, marking a new phase in the long-running Jeffrey Epstein investigation and a rare moment of bipartisan scrutiny for one of America's most powerful political couples.
After months of resisting subpoenas and denouncing the probe as partisan "political theater," the Clintons agreed to testify after the committee advanced contempt proceedings that could have led to criminal referrals.
Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said the depositions will take place at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York, with Hillary Clinton scheduled to appear Thursday and Bill Clinton on Friday.
The sessions will be videotaped, and Comer has pledged to release transcripts and footage swiftly.
"No one is accusing the Clintons of wrongdoing," Comer said, emphasizing that lawmakers have "a lot of questions."
Those questions largely center on Bill Clinton's documented ties to Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
According to CNN, Clinton traveled on Epstein's private plane at least 16 times, though his spokesperson has said it was for trips connected to Clinton Foundation work in 2002 and 2003.
Undated photographs released under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act show Clinton aboard Epstein's plane and socializing with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving a 20-year prison sentence.
In a sworn declaration to the committee, Bill Clinton said he had "no recollection" of when he first met Maxwell and claimed no personal knowledge of Epstein's or Maxwell's criminal activities.
Hillary Clinton has similarly said she does not believe she ever met Epstein, though she acknowledged encountering Maxwell on "a few occasions."
Republicans argue the depositions are about accountability and transparency, not politics.
The House panel issued subpoenas last summer, and some Democrats joined Republicans in advancing contempt measures after the Clintons declined to appear for in-person testimony.
"The major thing is that we're looking for truth, for the survivors, and justice and accountability," Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told The Hill.
Still, some Democrats claim Republicans are targeting the Clintons to distract from scrutiny of other powerful figures, including President Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton recently suggested to the BBC that the probe was designed to "divert attention."
But Epstein survivors have underscored a broader principle: no one should be above the law.
As one survivor told CNN, if public figures can ignore congressional subpoenas, others might follow.
For Republicans, the message is clear. After years of investigations into Trump and his associates, they say transparency must apply equally, even to a former president and first lady.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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