Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have said they will not comply with a Congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The pair, particularly Bill, have been linked to Epstein.
In July, the Clintons were subpoenaed as part of the investigation. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing.
Here’s the context you need to understand this story.
Clinton and Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender who was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, dying in jail soon after.
He was known to be friends with an array of high-profile politicians, celebrities, and the wealthy, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton (1993-2001).
Bill Clinton’s wife Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of State under Barack Obama, and ran as Democratic nominee for the 2016 Presidential election, won by Donald Trump.
During his presidency, Clinton was publicly accused of sexual misconduct by three different women.
In 1994, Paula Jones accused Bill Clinton of sexually harassing her three years earlier, before he ran for President. The case was settled for $US850,000 in 1998, with Clinton making no admission of guilt.
During investigations into Jones’ allegation, former White House aide Kathleen Willey alleged Clinton had groped her in the White House in 1993, which he denied. An investigation did not proceed due to insufficient evidence.
In 1999, Juanita Broaddrick alleged Clinton had raped her in 1978. Clinton’s lawyer called the allegation “absolutely false,” and it never went to court.
Bill Clinton was photographed with Epstein at public events during his presidency, prior to Epstein’s first criminal conviction.
In 2019, a representative for Bill Clinton posted to X saying the former President “knows nothing about [Epstein’s] terrible crimes”.
The statement said Clinton “took a total of four trips” on Epstein’s plane and that he never visited his island.
Investigation
So, why have the Clintons been called to give evidence, and who are they giving evidence to?
First, a bit more context: Like Australia’s Parliament, the U.S. Congress has a lower house called the House of Representatives (nicknamed the House) and an upper house called the Senate.
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Also like Australia, House and Senate members belong to committees tasked with monitoring and investigating issues relevant to the Government and its citizens, including the Government’s own actions.
These committees can issue subpoenas — a formal order for a person or entity to produce documents and communications, or to give evidence, typically used by courts.
The House Oversight Committee examines the actions of federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Justice (DoJ).
On 23 July 2025, its chair James Comer announced a review of the DoJ’s handling of the Epstein case.
The Committee issued subpoenas for the Clintons, among others, to testify in the investigation.
Then, in November, Congress passed an act forcing the release of all documents from past DoJ investigations into Epstein.
While some documents were already publicly available, the DoJ and the House Oversight Committee began releasing more ‘Epstein files’.
Some of the files in the most recent release, from late December, include photos of Bill Clinton.
He is pictured in a pool with convicted Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, on Epstein’s plane with multiple women whose identities were redacted, and with musicians Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, and Diana Ross.
Response
On Tuesday (local time), Bill Clinton did not attend a scheduled appointment to give evidence.
A letter from the Clintons’ legal team labelled the subpoenas as “invalid and legally unenforceable” and “intended to harass and embarrass”.
In a personal letter to Comer, the Clintons accused him of pursuing “a rarely used process literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”
“We have tried to give you the little information we have… [You] demand the most from those who know the least.”
What's next?
Comer told press that the Committee “will move next week... to hold former President Clinton in contempt of Congress,” a criminal offence.
Witnesses can be held accountable for not complying with a subpoena.
Comer said that the motion to subpoena the pair was “voted on by an entire subcommittee in a unanimous vote”.
