House GOP moves to hold Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress in Epstein probe

• Both Bill and Hillary Clinton are refusing to comply with subpoenas, laying out in a letter, obtained by Axios, to Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) why they considered the subpoenas "invalid and legally unenforceable."
• Hillary Clinton is scheduled to sit for a deposition Wednesday, and Comer has warned that the committee also would pursue contempt proceedings against her if she too fails to appear.

Driving the news: "We've communicated with President Clinton's legal team for months now, giving them opportunity after opportunity to come in to give us a day, and they continue to delay, delay, delay. Delaying to the point where we had no idea whether they would show up today," Comer told reporters Tuesday.

• He said the Oversight panel will move next week to hold Bill Clinton in contempt.
• None of the panel's Democrats showed up for Tuesday's deposition either, according to Comer.
• Criminal contempt of Congress carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, though not every witness who defies a subpoena is referred for prosecution.

Catch up quick: The Clintons were issued subpoenas in August, along with former FBI director James Comey and other government officials.

• The depositions were initially set for October, then pushed to December after Bill Clinton said he needed to attend a funeral.
• In a December letter, Comer agreed to delay the depositions a second time because of the funeral but said the Clintons' attorney was "unwilling to provide any alternative dates for your clients' testimony."
• Comer ultimately rescheduled the depositions for this week without confirmation that the Clintons would appear.

State of play: The Justice Department in December released the first tranche of Epstein-related files, which included multiple photos of Bill Clinton.

• Clinton has denied any wrongdoing.
• Bill Clinton also traveled aboard Epstein's plane during Clinton Foundation trips in the early 2000s, before Epstein was charged with sex crimes.

The other side: "For months, we've been offering the same exact thing he accepted from the rest, but he refuses and won't explain why. Make of that what you will," Angel Urena, a spokesperson for Bill Clinton, said of Comer in December.

• The Clintons have offered to provide the committee with sworn statements instead of appearing in person.
• "Since this started, we've been asking what the hell Hillary Clinton has to do with this, and [Comer] hasn't been able to come up with an answer," Nick Merrill, a spokesperson for Hillary Clinton, said in a statement last month.

Flashback: Penalties in contempt of Congress cases can range from symbolic rebukes to jail time.

• Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were sentenced to prison for defying subpoenas from the Democratic-led Jan. 6 select committee.
• Former Attorney General Merrick Garland was held in contempt in 2024 for refusing to turn over audio of President Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur, but the Biden-era DOJ declined to prosecute the case.

What's next: Once the contempt measure formally passes out of committee, the full House will have to vote on it.

• If the resolution garners the simple majority needed for passage, it will then be referred to the DOJ for prosecution.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.