By Trendsetter Tribune 
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decline to testify in House Oversight investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, citing legally unenforceable subpoenas and separation of powers concerns.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on Tuesday that they will not comply with congressional subpoenas requiring them to testify about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The couple cited legal concerns, calling the subpoenas “invalid and legally unenforceable.”
In a letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), the Clintons’ attorneys said they had already provided “the limited information they possess about” Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The lawyers argued that the subpoenas lacked a valid legislative purpose, sought irrelevant information, and constituted an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers.
“Your continued insistence that the former President and Secretary of State can be compelled to appear before the Committee under these circumstances…brings us toward a protracted and unnecessary legal confrontation that distracts from the principal work of Congress,” the letter reads.
Clintons’ Public Statement
The Clintons also shared a separate statement on X, saying, “This is not about Right or Left, it’s about Right and Wrong.” The statement criticized Comer for failing to use his oversight authority to compel the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all Epstein-related files, including any materials involving the Clintons.
“Despite everything that needs to be done to help our country, you are on the cusp of bringing Congress to a halt to pursue a rarely used process literally designed to result in our imprisonment,” the statement read. “This is not the way out of America’s ills, and we will forcefully defend ourselves.”
Comer’s Response and Subpoena Context
Committee Chair Comer has said he will pursue contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill Clinton and is threatening the same for Hillary Clinton if she does not appear at her scheduled hearing next week. Comer and other Oversight Republicans have pointed out that Epstein visited the White House during the Clinton administration at least 17 times, and that Clinton flew on Epstein’s private plane over 25 times after his presidency ended.
Comer emphasized that the subpoenas do not imply wrongdoing. “No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing,” he said. “We just have questions, and that’s why Democrats voted along with Republicans to subpoena Bill Clinton.”
The subpoenas are part of a broader investigation by an Oversight subpanel that authorized subpoenas for 10 people with connections to Epstein last summer. Other individuals include former Attorney General Bill Barr and former FBI Director James Comey.
Public Records and Statements
The Department of Justice has previously released photos showing Clinton with Maxwell at a hotel, including a widely circulated image in a hot tub. Clinton and other lawmakers have called for the full release of Epstein files. Angel Ureña, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, posted on X last month that Clinton “knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light.”