A group of Democrats joined Republicans on the House Oversight Committee in a vote to move forward with an effort to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress.
The former president and secretary of state defied a subpoena to appear behind closed doors before the committee as part of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite the threat of imprisonment.
Committee Chairman James Comer said no one is above the law, but the Clintons accused Comer of being politically motivated.
After a heated debate, the committee voted 34 to eight to recommend holding the former president in contempt of Congress. It also voted 28 to 15 to hold the former secretary of state in contempt.
Nine Democrats on the committee joined Republicans in recommending holding the former president in contempt, while three Democrats backed contempt proceedings against the former secretary of state.
The measures now move to the full House. If they receive a simple majority, both Clintons would be referred to the Justice Department for potential criminal prosecution.
Some Democrats argued they would pursue anyone who would shed more light on Epstein and his crimes, but they slammed the GOP leadership for not doing more to demand Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department comply with the law requiring them to release the full Epstein files.
They accused Republicans of zeroing in on the Clintons as part of a distraction while the Justice Department missed deadlines to release files and provide an explanation of its redactions.
Ranking member Robert Garcia noted on Wednesday that the former president had submitted a signed declaration and offered to sit down with committee leaders to answer questions.
The ranking member turned to his GOP colleague and said he still wanted to question the former president. He urged the committee to keep negotiating with the Clintons.
Comer pushed back that the Clintons “don’t get to make the rules” and accused them of calling members of the committee liars as they went on offense.
He also argued that the Clintons were trying to stall being interviewed to run down the clock until the House potentially flipped next year.
Democrats and Republicans on the committee also engaged in a tense debate over why the Clintons were being held to a different standard than other subpoenaed witnesses.
The ranking member pointed out that the Clintons were among the 10 people issued subpoenas in the Epstein investigation last summer, and that the majority of those subpoenaed were allowed to provide statements.
Comer pushed back that the Clintons had a personal relationship with Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, unlike other witnesses subpoenaed.
He also pointed out that former Attorney General Bill Barr and former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta did appear for interviews.
A spokesperson for the Clintons noted on Wednesday that both Clintons provided sworn statements to the committee.
He also outlined that the Clintons offered to have both the chairman and ranking member interview the former president in person at his office, with staff there to take notes, in exchange for the subpoena being lifted.
“We have offered to help, we have helped, and to this very moment we are ready to help. But the Republicans REFUSE to say YES,” wrote Angel Urena.
SPOILER ALERT: We have offered to help, we have helped, and to this very moment we are ready to help. But the Republicans REFUSE to say YES. pic.twitter.com/7JCHCVSShx
— Angel Ureña (@angelurena) January 21, 2026
Urena argued that the Clintons had never said no to a transcript. Garcia on Wednesday also repeatedly brought up that Clinton had not ruled out a recorded transcript.
The chairman fired back that the Clintons had previously objected but had since changed their tune.
The escalation between the Clintons and House Republicans followed months of back-and-forth between the Clintons’ lawyers and the House Oversight Committee, which issued a series of bipartisan subpoenas as part of its investigation last summer.
Last week, the Clintons penned a scathing letter to Comer in which they blasted the demand that they come before investigators as politically motivated.
They accused the Republican lawmaker of attempting to punish perceived enemies while protecting allies.
The Clintons said they would fight the subpoena in the public arena and called for the full release of the Epstein files.
Democrats on Wednesday questioned why Republicans had moved to pursue criminal contempt. They also argued that President Donald Trump, another known longtime Epstein associate, should also have to share what he knew with lawmakers.
The post Dems Back GOP Drive to Hold Clintons in Contempt Over Epstein Snub appeared first on The Daily Beast.
