House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said Tuesday he rejected an offer from lawyers for Bill and Hillary Clinton to avoid contempt of Congress charges by agreeing to sit for an unofficial conversation without a transcript, as the committee prepares contempt resolutions on Wednesday in its Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Comer said the proposal would have barred most lawmakers from participating and required committee leaders to travel to New York with no official record.
"The absence of an official transcript is an indefensible demand that is insulting to the American people who demand answers about Epstein's crimes," Comer said.
The subpoenas originated with a bipartisan subcommittee vote in July 2025 and were issued Aug. 5, 2025, according to the committee.
The Clintons have called the probe "legally invalid" and said Comer is nearing a process "literally designed to result in our imprisonment," The Associated Press reported.
ABC News reported the Clintons accused Comer of "lying with impunity."
"The Clintons' latest demands make clear they believe their last name entitles them to special treatment," Comer wrote in a Tuesday post on X.
"The House Oversight Committee's bipartisan subpoenas require the Clintons to appear for depositions that are under oath and transcribed," he wrote.
"Former President Clinton has a documented history of parsing language to evade questions, responding falsely under oath, and was impeached and suspended from the practice of law as a result."
In August 2025, Comer announced subpoenas for several people, including former U.S. attorneys general Alberto Gonzales and Jeff Sessions, former FBI Director James Comey, and Bill and Hillary Clinton, seeking their testimony in an investigation into alleged crimes connected to Epstein.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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