Bill Clinton blasted House Republicans as “pure politics” after contempt threats forced him and Hillary Clinton to agree to testify in the Epstein probe.
The former president confirmed on X that he submitted a sworn statement and will appear before the House Oversight Committee under subpoena pressure.
He claimed Republicans refused to accept his cooperation and accused them of staging a partisan spectacle.
“I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know,” Clinton wrote Friday.
I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared. If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about.
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) February 6, 2026
“And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.”
The standoff followed months of resistance to subpoenas issued by Chairman James Comer.
The Clintons argued the demands lacked legal footing and claimed the investigation served President Donald Trump’s political interests.
Pressure escalated after Congress found both Clintons in contempt for refusing to produce documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
A contempt vote would have referred them to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.
Hours before the House Rules Committee prepared to advance contempt resolutions, the Clintons’ lawyers shifted course. They told Comer their clients would testify and pressed for an open setting.
“Though you have notably never asked the Clintons to appear in an open hearing, we now believe that will best suit our concerns about fairness,” their attorneys wrote.
“Their answers, and your questions, can be seen by all to be judged accordingly.”
Clinton accused Comer of trying to control the optics behind closed doors. He argued that a public hearing would protect transparency.
“Now, Chairman Comer says he wants cameras, but only behind closed doors. Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice,” Clinton posted.
“Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics.”
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He escalated further, declaring, “I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared.” He urged Republicans to “stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing.”
Comer rejected earlier proposals that would have limited questioning or substituted written testimony.
In a letter obtained by The New York Times, Clinton’s lawyers suggested a four-hour recorded interview before the full committee.
Comer dismissed that framework as “unreasonable,” arguing that four hours would not suffice given Clinton’s history of lengthy testimony. He warned the former president could attempt to “run out the clock.”
The former first lady sought permission to submit a sworn written statement instead of appearing in person. Her legal team cited her claim that she never met or communicated with Epstein.
Comer pushed back in writing, telling the Clintons’ counsel that their request for special terms frustrated the public’s demand for transparency.
He signaled he believed the former president might define relevant topics too narrowly.
He outlined concerns that Clinton could refuse questions about “his personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell” and alleged efforts to manage negative coverage after leaving office.
🚨Democrats & Republicans issued BIPARTISAN subpoenas directing Bill & Hillary Clinton to appear for depositions.
Our Epstein investigation is not dictated by the Clintons. Depositions are on video for all to see. If the Clintons want a hearing, it can be after depositions. pic.twitter.com/WRDk8lPos8
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) February 6, 2026
Facing mounting pressure, the Clintons reversed course Monday night. They accepted every condition laid out by Comer and removed restrictions on the scope and length of questioning.
Comer announced that Hillary Clinton will sit for a closed-door transcribed interview on Feb. 26. Bill Clinton will appear the next day under the same filmed conditions.
Hillary Clinton defended her cooperation in a statement Thursday. She accused Republicans of shifting standards and ignoring prior sworn answers.
“For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath. They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction,” she wrote.
For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath.
They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 5, 2026
She added, “You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on. We will be there.”
Republicans countered that the Clintons changed course only after contempt loomed. Comer framed the reversal as proof the House acted decisively.
“Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have been clear: no one is above the law — and that includes the Clintons,” Comer said. He added that once contempt moved forward, “the Clintons completely caved.”
He stressed that depositions will be filmed and transcribed. He also agreed to hold a hearing after the depositions conclude, noting on X that the investigation “is not dictated by the Clintons. Depositions are on video for all to see.”
Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña declared that Comer “has finally stopped hiding and accepted the offer of a public hearing.”
The Clintons are going to Clinton and try to spin the facts.
On Tuesday, at the eleventh hour, their lawyers, Jonathan Skladany and Ashley Callen, said their clients accepted the terms of the depositions.
These terms are no different than any other deposition we have held on… https://t.co/Sxq3HSOJi1 pic.twitter.com/2MgiynzbH0
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) February 5, 2026
He said the former president looks forward to answering questions publicly.
The Oversight Committee responded by posting email exchanges detailing negotiations over testimony terms.
The committee wrote, “The Clintons are going to Clinton and try to spin the facts,” and stated their terms matched prior depositions of former Attorney General Bill Barr and former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta.
President Trump weighed in after years of open political conflict with the Clintons. He voiced sympathy for Bill Clinton despite past rivalries.
“I think it’s a shame to be honest. I always liked him,” Trump told reporters. “I hate to see it in many ways.”
He added that investigators once pursued him with equal intensity. “They went after me. They wanted me to go to jail for the rest of my life and it turned out I was innocent,” he said.
Trump told NBC News that he respected Clinton’s past political instincts. “I liked his behavior toward me,” he stated. “I thought he got me, he understood me.”
The Clintons remain two of ten individuals subpoenaed in the committee’s review of the federal government’s handling of Epstein’s case.
So far, only Barr and Acosta have appeared in person before the panel.
