KY’s Comer secures committee vote to hold Clintons in contempt of Congress
A U.S. House committee led by Kentucky Rep. James Comer held former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress in a rare committee vote Wednesday.
The vote followed more than a week of threats and negotiations between Comer, his staff and the Clintons. The pair were among those deposed related to the investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Clintons, who were associates of Epstein’s, claim Comer’s push is being fueled by politics and fealty to President Donald Trump, also a friend of Epstein’s.
There was some bipartisan support to hold the Clintons in contempt. The vote for the former president was 34-8, with nine Democrats crossing the aisle. For former president candidate Hillary, whose ties to Epstein were not as pronounced as her husband’s, the vote was 28-15, with just three Democrats voting with GOP committee membership.
“The Committee does not take this action lightly. But subpoenas are not mere suggestions; they carry the force of law and require compliance. Former President Clinton and Secretary Clinton were legally required to appear for depositions before this Committee. They refused,” Comer wrote in a statement.
The New York Times reported a vote on the House floor could take place “within weeks.” If the House approves the citations, criminal referrals would go to the U.S. Department of Justice, which could then prosecute. Those charges could result in imprisonment.
The Clintons maintain they have been willing to cooperate to a certain extent and complain they’re being singled out over others who were given similar subpoenas and not asked to testify in front of Comer’s committee.
The former president’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Urena, wrote on social media that Comer is being disingenuous.
“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,” Urena wrote.
Last week, the Clintons released a blistering letter criticizing Comer for what they called a biased investigation.
“The facts speak for themselves: You subpoenaed eight people in addition to us. You dismissed seven of those eight without any of them saying a single word to you. You made no attempt to force them to appear. In fact, since you started your investigation last year, you have interviewed a total of two people,” the letter reads.
“Continue to mislead Americans about what is truly at stake, and you will learn that Americans are better at finding the truth than you are at burying it.”
