Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary have been subpoenaed by the US Congress to testify about Jeffrey Epstein.
The Clintons were among several high-profile people to be named by the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday as it began a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to President Donald Trump and former top officials.
The request by the Republican-controlled committee came while Congress is on a month-long break, indicating that interest in the Epstein files remains high – despite efforts by Trump to move past it.
Lawmakers from both major political parties, as well as many in the Republican president’s political base, have refused to let go of the issue.
James Comer, the Republican chairman of the oversight committee, noted in letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the former officials that the cases of Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell “have received immense public interest and scrutiny.”
“While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell,” Comer said.
Since Epstein’s 2019 death in a New York jail cell as he awaited trial for sex trafficking charges, conspiracy theories have swirled around over what information investigators gathered on Epstein — and who else knew about his sexual abuse of teenage girls.
Conservative conspiracists have formed a core part of Trump’s base, and his decision to rein back on his promise of releasing the files has created fury within some circles.
The renewed focus on the Epstein files has also galvanised public opinion on the issue, with many polls showing a majority of Americans now believe they should be released.
Bill Clinton was among a number of senior politicians acquainted with Epstein, a wealthy financier, before the criminal investigation against him in Florida became public two decades ago.
Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by any of the women who say Epstein abused them.
One of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, once gave a newspaper interview in which she described riding in a helicopter with Clinton and flirting with Trump, but she later said in a deposition that those things hadn’t actually happened and were mistakes by the reporter.
Clinton has previously said through a spokesperson that while he travelled on Epstein’s jet, he never visited his homes and had no knowledge of his crimes.
The committee is also demanding interviews under oath from former attorneys general spanning the last four presidential administrations: Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales. Lawmakers also subpoenaed former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.
The committee has also subpoenaed the Trump administration’s Justice Department for its files on Epstein, in a move spearheaded by the Democrats on the committee.
They were joined by some Republicans last month to successfully initiate the subpoena through a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.
“Today was an important step forward in our fight for transparency regarding the Epstein files and our dedication to seeking justice for the victims,” said Democrats Robert Garcia and Summer Lee, who initiated the subpoena, in a joint statement.
They added: “Now, we must continue putting pressure on the Department of Justice until we actually receive every document.”
The subpoenas give the Justice Department until August 19 to hand over the requested records, though such requests are typically open to negotiation and can be resisted by the Trump administration.
The committee is also asking the former officials to appear for the depositions throughout August, September and October, concluding with Hillary Clinton on October 9 and Bill Clinton on October 14.
Multiple former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress, but none has been compelled to do so.
Trump resisted efforts to get him to testify in 2022 about the January 6 riots, with the committee ultimately withdrawing the subpoena.
The committee had previously issued a subpoena for an interview with Maxwell, who had been serving a prison sentence in Florida for luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein but was recently transferred to a Texas facility.
However, Comer has indicated he is willing to delay that deposition until after the Supreme Court decides whether to hear an appeal of her conviction. She argues she was wrongfully prosecuted.
As the Justice Department has tried to appease demands for more disclosure, it has turned its attention to Maxwell.
Officials interviewed her for several days last month.
But Democrats stressed the importance of gaining direct access to the investigative files, rather than relying on Maxwell’s words.
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