Bill And Hillary Clinton Ordered To Testify In Jeffrey Epstein Probe

Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are among the people subpoenaed by a congressional committee examining the government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican, issued the orders as part of an investigation into alleged failures in enforcing sex trafficking laws.

Comer said in formal letters to those subpoenaed that the committee is seeking to assess how the federal government prosecuted Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in the abuse of underage girls.

The committee also subpoenaed six former attorneys general, Merrick Garland, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Alberto Gonzales, Jeff Sessions, and William Barr, along with former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller. It also requested Justice Department records on Epstein and Maxwell, including files on trafficking, abuse, and Epstein's 2007 non-prosecution deal in Florida.

A subpoena is a legal document that orders someone to appear in court or before a legal or governmental body to testify or provide evidence.

While the Epstein investigation began after the Clinton presidency, the former US President's links to him have long been subject to scrutiny. Comer's letter showed Clinton's documented flights on Epstein's jet and meetings in New York as the reason for the summons. Clinton has previously admitted flying on Epstein's plane four times and visiting his New York apartment.

The committee launched the orders amid renewed scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein's connections, after the Justice Department refused to release files on the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Deposition dates have been tentatively set, with Bill Clinton scheduled to appear on October 14, the BBC reported.

A spokesperson for Clinton previously said, "President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York."

Ghislaine Maxwell was scheduled to testify before the committee on August 11 under legal protections, but her deposition has been postponed indefinitely.