Contempt Proceedings Against Bill Clinton Announced
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, is set to start contempt of Congress proceedings against former President Bill Clinton. This decision follows Clinton’s failure to appear for a closed-door deposition related to the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, accused of child sex trafficking.
According to a press release, these proceedings might begin as soon as next week.
The deposition was slated for Tuesday morning, part of the Republican-led inquiry into how the U.S. government handled Epstein, who reportedly died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.
The committee issued a subpoena in August of the previous year, which received unanimous support from both Republican and Democratic members, as stated by Comer (R-KY).
“Not a single Democrat showed up today [to the deposition]. Not a single Democrat—the ones who have press conferences on the Capitol steps and talk about how they’re trying to get justice for the victims and all that. It just seems like they only care about questioning Republicans. We’ve had a former cabinet secretary, [Alex] Acosta, in for a grilling. We had Bill Barr, former attorney general, in for a grilling. But for whatever reason, President Clinton didn’t show up, and the Democrats on the committee don’t seem to have a problem,” Comer remarked.
“We’ve been in touch with President Clinton’s legal team for months, providing multiple opportunities for him to come in, but they keep delaying. We were left uncertain about whether he would show up today or not. It’s quite disappointing,” Comer said to reporters after Clinton’s absence.
“Because of Bill Clinton not attending his lawful subpoena, which was voted on unanimously by the committee, we will pursue contempt charges against him next week,” he added.
Comer stressed that the subpoena was a bipartisan initiative—not an accusation against Clinton—intended to gather information. “We’re not accusing Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” he noted.
Clinton has been referenced in past court documents related to Epstein, particularly flight logs from Epstein’s private jet. These logs, made public through civil lawsuits and further released in 2019 and December 2025, indicate Clinton as a passenger on “at least 17 to 26” flights between 2001 and 2003.
Consistently, Clinton has denied any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities, asserting he had no knowledge of Epstein’s actions and claiming that their contact ended around 2003, before public awareness of Epstein’s Florida investigation. He has also stated he never visited Epstein’s island.
In a letter released earlier on Tuesday, Clinton’s lawyers argued against the validity of the subpoena, suggesting it lacked a legislative purpose, and claimed they had already shared all pertinent information, justifying his absence.
If approved by the full committee next week, the contempt proceedings could result in a House floor vote recommending referral to the Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution. Further updates are anticipated following next week’s markup.
Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor that can incur fines and up to one year in prison.
