The House Oversight Committee voted Monday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after both refused to comply with congressional subpoenas, a move that immediately exposed sharp partisan divisions on the committee.
Eight Democrats voted against the contempt measure, effectively supporting the Clintons’ refusal to comply with the subpoenas without facing penalties. Those Democrats were Reps. Wesley Bell of Missouri, Shontel Brown of Ohio, Robert Garcia of California, Ro Khanna of California, Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia, and James Walkinshaw of Virginia.
The subpoenas were issued following the release of additional photographs and documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act that cast renewed attention on former President Clinton’s past associations with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile. Republicans on the Oversight Committee said the new materials warranted further questioning and required full compliance with congressional oversight.
The vote drew particular attention because some lawmakers who opposed the contempt measure have previously demanded full transparency surrounding Epstein-related documents. Rep. Ro Khanna has been among the most vocal advocates for releasing all Epstein files and investigating those connected to Epstein. That history raised questions after Khanna joined other Democrats in voting against holding the Clintons accountable for ignoring subpoenas tied to the same subject.
Rather than comply with the committee’s demands, the Clintons responded with a lengthy letter outlining why they believe they are not obligated to submit to the subpoenas. In the letter, they argued the subpoenas were invalid and unnecessary.
The Clintons also claimed they had already provided Congress with all relevant information in their possession and accused the committee of acting with partisan motives.
“There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics,” the Clintons wrote in the letter.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky rejected that argument and emphasized that the subpoenas were lawfully issued. Comer said the Clintons had ample time to comply with the committee’s requests.
“They have had five months to comply with this,” Comer said. “We expect to hear from Bill Clinton. He is not above the law.”
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