WASHINGTON: Former US president Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, will testify before a US House investigation examining how authorities handled earlier probes into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for Bill Clinton said, averting a potential congressional vote to hold the couple in contempt.
The Clintons had initially declined to appear before lawmakers probing how authorities investigated Epstein before he died in federal custody in 2019. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, maintained extensive ties with some of the world’s most powerful political, business, and social figures.
“The former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone,” Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said in a post on X.
They negotiated in good faith. You did not.
They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care.
But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there.
They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone. https://t.co/iO67XjNFsT
— Angel Ureña (@angelurena) February 2, 2026
The House Rules Committee had advanced resolutions accusing the Clintons of defying subpoenas that required them to testify in person about their connections to Epstein. Those resolutions were put on hold after the couple agreed to comply.
According to AFP, the Epstein case continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, ensnaring some of the most prominent names in US politics and underscoring the deep partisan tensions surrounding the scandal.
Democrats argue that the investigation is being weaponised to target political opponents of President Donald Trump, who was a longtime associate of Epstein but has not been called to testify. They contend the probe is less about legitimate oversight and more about political retaliation.
Trump, who moved in the same elite social circles as Epstein, spent months attempting to block the public release of investigative files related to the financier. Epstein cultivated relationships for years with billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities before his arrest and death.
Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein’s activities.
In letters explaining their initial refusal to appear, the Clintons argued that the subpoenas were invalid because they failed to establish a clear legislative purpose. Republicans countered that the couple’s past links to Epstein warranted in-person testimony under oath.
Republicans have pointed in particular to Bill Clinton’s use of Epstein’s private jet in the early 2000s, arguing it justified direct questioning by lawmakers.
Instead of appearing initially, the Clintons submitted sworn written statements outlining their knowledge of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.
In his statement, Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane during trips connected to humanitarian work for the Clinton Foundation but said he never visited Epstein’s private island. Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his aircraft and never visited his island.
Following the Clintons’ agreement to testify, the House Rules Committee said on Monday evening it would temporarily suspend its planned vote on contempt proceedings.
The prospect of a contempt vote had threatened to expose divisions among congressional Democrats. Some party members have privately conceded that Democrats have long maintained that no individual should be beyond scrutiny in uncovering the full extent of Epstein’s crimes.
Others, however, feared that pushing forward with contempt resolutions against the Clintons would have played into a partisan strategy aimed at diverting attention from Trump’s own past contacts with Epstein.
The US Justice Department released what it described as the final batch of files related to the Epstein investigation last week, though the case continues to generate political controversy and renewed scrutiny in Congress.
