NEW YORK, December 15. /TASS/. Bill and Hillary Clinton could be held in contempt of Congress if they refuse to testify before lawmakers regarding the case of financier Jeffrey Epstein, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
According to the newspaper, Representative James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the Oversight Committee, is continuing his efforts to subpoena the Clintons. The corresponding subpoenas could be issued as early as this week, for the committee hearings on December 17-18, or at the beginning of January 2026. In case of their refusal, NYT added, Comer has threatened to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings and hold Bill and Hillary Clinton accountable. In August, the committee chairman had already sent them similar subpoenas, but they did not appear before Congress.
NYT specified that the maximum penalty for refusing to testify before Congress is one year of imprisonment and a fine of $100,000. Nonetheless, the newspaper also clarified, "not every witness who defies a congressional subpoena is referred for contempt."
"For Mr. Clinton to appear on Capitol Hill to testify in the Epstein case would be nearly unprecedented," the article stated. Since 1983, no former president has testified before Congress. Back then, former President Gerald Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss the 1987 celebration of the Constitution’s bicentennial. When Donald Trump received a subpoena from the special committee investigating the January 6, 2022, events, while not in office at the time, he sued the committee in an attempt to block the subpoena. In the end, the subpoena was withdrawn, the newspaper recalled.
On December 10, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York gave its consent for the release of materials related to the Epstein case. Epstein was arrested by New York State law enforcement in July 2019. The prosecutor’s office reported that between 2002 and 2005 he arranged visits to his Manhattan home for dozens of underage girls, the youngest being 14.
Epstein’s friends and acquaintances included numerous current and retired officials not only from the United States but also from many other countries, including former heads of state, major entrepreneurs, and show business stars. The criminal prosecution of the financier in the United States ended after he committed suicide in a prison cell in August 2019.