In a stunning twist I honestly didn’t see coming, nine Democrats broke ranks Wednesday to recommend Bill Clinton be held in contempt of Congress for ducking a subpoena in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
On top of that, three Democrats also crossed party lines to support a similar contempt recommendation against Hillary Clinton. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee votes mark the first time the GOP-led panel has referred contempt charges, and the bipartisan support shows that at least some Democrats are at least pretending that transparency in the Epstein case matters to them.
Politico has more.
The contempt reports now head to the House floor. Assuming the measures advance, the administration could choose to prosecute the former first couple, which could lead to potential jail time for one or both.
For Hillary Clinton especially, it could mark the culmination of President Donald Trump’s decadelong hostility towards his 2016 political rival, who he repeatedly called to be put behind bars for using a private email server while leading the State Department.
“No witness – not a former president or a private citizen — may willfully defy a duly issued congressional subpoena without consequence,” said House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.). “But that is what the Clintons did, and that is why we are here today.”
Reps. Maxwell Frost of Florida, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Emily Randall of Washington, Lateefah Simon of California, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, alongside Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, joined Republicans in voting in favor of holding Bill Clinton in contempt. Two Democrats — Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Dave Min of California — voted “present.”
Lee, Stansbury and Tlaib voted in favor of holding Hillary Clinton in contempt, with one Democrat, Min, recording himself as “present.”
Before the committee voted, Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña defended their faux cooperation on social media.
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“Weeks ago, we sent the Committee sworn statements from each Clinton,” he said. “That is exactly what all but one other witness did. We offered to meet with the committee. On Friday night, we sent this to the committee. We spent the last four days trying to find a resolution. This is word-for-word what we sent Friday night, plenty of time to find a resolution.”
SPOILER ALERT: We have offered to help, we have helped, and to this very moment we are ready to help. But the Republicans REFUSE to say YES. pic.twitter.com/7JCHCVSShx
— Angel Ureña (@angelurena) January 21, 2026
However, according to Comer, the conditions the Clintons wanted for meeting with the committee were ridiculous.
“Facing contempt of Congress, the Clintons’ lawyers made an untenable offer: that I travel to New York for a conversation with President Clinton only,” Comer said Tuesday. “No official transcript would be recorded and other Members of Congress would be barred from participating.”
Comer rejected that offer and added, “The Clintons’ latest demands make clear they believe their last name entitles them to special treatment.”
Contempt of Congress is a rarely used hammer that carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine up to $100,000. But this vote is just the opening act. The full House still has to approve it before anything goes to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.
Buckle up.
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