House Oversight Committee subpoenas the Clintons for its Epstein investigation

A House committee on Tuesday issued subpoenas to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that compel them to answer questions from investigators in an expanding congressional probe seeking to uncover who was involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring.

The former president and Mrs. Clinton were among ten top former administration officials summoned to give closed-door congressional depositions about Epstein, who was accused of running the decade-long sex trafficking operation with associate Ghislaine Maxwell that allegedly provided girls to wealthy and influential clients.

House investigators plan to dig for more information about who participated in Epstein’s crimes, and believe the Clintons may know more about it than they have disclosed.  

The Clintons were friends with Epstein and Maxwell, and Mr. Clinton traveled several times aboard Epstein’s private jet. Witnesses reported that Mr. Clinton stayed on Epstein’s private enclave in the Virgin Islands, where some of the alleged sex trafficking crimes took place. 

Both are summoned to provide closed-door depositions to House investigators in October. 

“Given your past relationships with Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell, the  Committee believes that you have information regarding their activities that is relevant to the Committee’s investigation,” House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer wrote to Mr. Clinton. 

The panel summoned Mrs. Clinton to provide a deposition about her knowledge of the federal government’s efforts to combat sex trafficking during her tenure as secretary of state during the Obama administration.

Mr. Clinton has denied ever visiting the disgraced financier’s private island but acknowledged the two were associates at one point. President Trump, too, is a former friend of Epstein. 

Maxwell was a guest at Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding. 

House lawmakers launched their investigation following demands from President Trump’s MAGA base and Democrats who accused the Trump administration of hiding government evidence of an alleged list of wealthy and powerful clients who victimized the trafficked girls. 

Mr. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi say they’ll release any credible evidence. Ms. Bondi said there is no client list and has refused to release additional information, saying she must protect victims and witnesses. 

Mr. Comer issued a subpoena to the Trump Justice Department seeking the government’s “Epstein files,” which include documents, testimony and other material related to the FBI’s investigation and prosecutions of Epstein and Maxwell.

The Oversight panel issued subpoenas to eight additional officials spanning the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush to the first term of Mr. Trump, among them former FBI Directors James B. Comey and Robert Mueller. Investigators also subpoenaed former Attorneys General Alberto Gonzalez, who served under Mr. Bush; Loretta Lynch and Eric Holder, who served under President Obama; and Mr. Trump’s first-term Attorneys General, Jeff Sessions and William Barr.

House Democrats have been angling to force the House vote on releasing the Epstein files, framing Ms. Bondi’s move to keep the files secret as a coverup for Mr. Trump. 

Democrats on the Oversight panel issued a statement Tuesday praising Mr. Comer for issuing a subpoena to the Justice Department “relating to the child sex trafficker and Trump’s longtime friend Jeffrey Epstein.”

The Justice Department has until Aug. 19 to provide the records requested. 

Mr. Epstein committed suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019 as he awaited prosecution on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted of serving as his accomplice in the sex trafficking scheme and is serving a 20-year sentence. 

Earlier this month, Maxwell spent two days answering Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s questions about Epstein’s clients. 

Mr. Trump and Epstein palled around for 15 years, mostly during the 80’s and 90’s. Their friendship ended over a Palm Beach real estate deal in 2004. 

Mr. Trump said he banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club in 2007 after Epstein hired away some of his staff. Virginia Guiffre was among those Epstein lured to his employ, and she said she was trafficked by Epstein to provide sexual favors to other men. 

The individuals are scheduled to appear on dates spanning from mid-August to mid-October.