Why it matters: Contempt of Congress proceedings are a rarely used congressional enforcement tool. Invoking contempt against a former president marks a significant escalation by House Republicans.
The Clintons 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."
The depositions were set for October, then pushed to December.
Comer agreed to delay the depositions a second time but said the Clintons' attorney was unwilling to provide alternative dates.
Comer rescheduled the depositions for this week without confirmation that the Clintons would appear.
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.
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.
Democrats have largelyheld their fire on Republicans' contempt efforts thus far, maintaining that they want to see the specifics before taking a position.
