Clintons won't testify in Epstein probe as House Oversight GOP threatens contempt

Washington — Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to appear before the House Oversight Committee to testify as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, setting up a legal confrontation as the Republican-led panel threatens to hold them in contempt of Congress.

Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the committee's chairman, said the panel will move next week on holding them in contempt.

The panel subpoenaed the former president and former secretary of state in August as part of the investigation. The committee had requested that Bill Clinton appear on Tuesday and Hillary Clinton on Wednesday.

In an eight-page letter to Comer, the Clintons' attorneys made it clear they would not appear for the closed-door questioning.

"President and Secretary Clinton have already provided the limited information they possess about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the Committee," the Clintons' attorneys said in the letter, which was obtained by CBS News.

"They did so proactively and voluntarily, and despite the fact that the Subpoenas are invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers," the letter said.

Bill Clinton has appeared in photos with Epstein and took a handful of trips with him decades ago, but has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

"This subpoena was voted on in a bipartisan manner by this committee," Comer told reporters Tuesday after the former president failed to show up.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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