“Wonderful thing, subpoenas,” Wilford Brimley wryly observed in the 1981 film Absence of Malice. Perhaps criminal referrals for contempt of Congress are even more wonderful. Especially with a Department of Justice champing at the bit to prosecute them in the Epstein Files case, when it comes to Bill and Hillary Clinton.
One day before the full House vote to approve those referrals, the Clintons have caved, at least according to the Associated Press. House Oversight chair James Comer has not yet comfirmed compliance, and Comer suspects that the two may try a couple of more manipulations before fully surrendering:
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized.
Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, continued to press for criminal contempt of Congress charges against both Clintons Monday evening for defying a congressional subpoena when attorneys for the Clintons emailed staff for the Oversight panel, saying the pair would accept Comer’s demands and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates.”
The attorneys requested that Comer, a Kentucky Republican, agree not to move forward with the contempt proceedings. Comer, however, said he was not immediately dropping the charges, which would carry the threat of a substantial fine and even incarceration if passed by the House and successfully prosecuted by the Department of Justice.
How did the Clintons end up in this predicament? The Democrats seized the Epstein Files Monkey’s Paw to use as a weapon against Donald Trump, only to discover Bill Clinton in a hot tub with an unidentified young female at Jeffrey Epstein’s residence. The Tubba Bubba pics forced Democrats to choose whether to stonewall for the Clintons and drop the Epstein Files Monkey’s Paw, or to grimly hold onto their Orange Man Bad dream and throw the Clintons under the bus.
Two weeks ago, enough House Democrats chose the latter to make the passage of the contempt charge and criminal referral look bipartisan in nature. Presumably, Bill and Hillary have tried to rally support for enough votes to force Mike Johnson to pass the referral on a party-line basis only, with just a two-seat margin of error. With the vote coming tomorrow, it looks as though the Clintons have belatedly discovered that they have become expendable in the Great Orange Man Quest … and reasonably so, under the circumstances, since the Clintons still haven’t explained what Bill was doing in the hot tub.
They waited until the last minute, though. The bill for the referral is about to come out of the Rules committee, but now is being held up until the Clintons make a firm commitment to appear as ordered by their subpoenas. They’re still trying to haggle over the terms:
Comer earlier Monday rejected an offer from attorneys for the Clintons to have Bill Clinton conduct a transcribed interview and Hillary Clinton submit a sworn declaration. He insisted that both Clintons sit for sworn depositions before the committee in order to fulfill the panel’s subpoenas.
A letter from the committee to attorneys for the Clintons indicated that they had offered for Bill Clinton to conduct a 4-hour transcribed interview on “matters related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein” and for Hillary Clinton to submit a sworn declaration.
That’s why Comer is maintaining his skepticism until the Clintons actually appear. He’s been here before with the Clintons:
It is unclear when the depositions might be held; as of Monday evening, Oversight staff members were still negotiating with the Clintons’ attorneys on the perimeters [sic] of the sessions. [Note to the WaPo editors – parameters, not perimeters. — Ed]
“The Clintons’ counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet again and they have provided no dates for their depositions,” Comer said in a statement. “The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt. I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.”
That’s a wise decision, but let’s not kid ourselves. The Clintons know exactly what they face, because the Biden Regency set the precedent of prosecuting refusals to appear while under a congressional subpoena:
Contempt of Congress — which is punishable by up to a year in prison — is rarely invoked, but it has been utilized more in recent years. Lawmakers found Stephen K. Bannon and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress in 2021 for defying a subpoena issued by the special committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Both served four-month sentences.
The days of only one side playing by Marquess de Queensbury rules is over. And the Clintons know it. They’ll show, and they’ll show under Comer’s terms, not theirs. Whether they actually testify is another matter, but the spectacle of the Clintons taking the Fifth will be … clarifying, at least.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media isn’t interested in the facts; they’re only interested in attacking the president. Help us continue to get to the bottom of stories like the Jeffrey Epstein files by supporting our truth-seeking journalism today.
Join Hot Air VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership!
