Bill Clinton faces being held in contempt of Congress after he and Hillary refuse to testify in Epstein inquiry – US politics live

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/jan/13/donald-trump-tariffs-supreme-court-iran-ice-immigration-jerome-powell-us-politics-live

Oversight committee chair James Comer said that he will move to hold former president Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify as part of the ongoing investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein case. Speaking to reporters, the Republican lawmaker from Kentucky said that he will begin the proceedings during the committee’s markup period next week.

This comes legal representatives for both Bill and Hillary Clinton sent an eight-page letter to Comer notifying him that they would not comply with the subpoenas compelling them to appear before the committee to deliver in-person testimony.

“To my knowledge, former president Clinton has never answered questions about Epstein, and we just had questions,” Comer said today. “I think anyone would admit they spent a lot of time together while Bill Clinton was president and post-presidency.”

Depending on the type of contempt citation, Clinton could either be forced to comply with the subpoena by a federal court, or even face prosecution by the justice department.

384 points · 42 comments · view on lemmy.world

42 Comments

themeatbridge@lemmy.world · 162 pts · 236d (5 replies)

Hasn't Trump demonstrated that contempt of congress has no consequences?

dhork@lemmy.world · 75 pts · 236d (4 replies)

Only if you have the magic (R) after your name, because there's no "R" in "Consequences"!

snooggums@piefed.world · 16 pts · 236d (3 replies)

There is no "D" either so the Clintons get a free pass too.

dhork@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 236d (2 replies)

Oh no, Bill Clinton has definitely exposed his "D" to some consequences in his time ...

hopesdead@startrek.website · 10 pts · 236d (1 reply)

Is it really a consequence if the impeachment didn’t result in removal from office?

ViatorOmnium@piefed.social · 7 pts · 236d

Besides legitimizing powerful men using positions of power to coerce young women?

Oh... You meant consequences for the offender? I guess people made some jokes about him.

Asmodeus_Krang@infosec.pub · 104 pts · 236d (1 reply)
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FenrirIII@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 235d

Because Republicans

fodor@lemmy.zip · 82 pts · 236d (1 reply)

Come on Bill, just go in there and let them ask you that question. Did you have sex with Donald Trump? And then reply, I did not have sexual relations with that man.

You owe it to us. You owe it to the country you had to deal with your bullshit in the 90s.

_stranger_@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 235d

"Depends on what your definition of 'man' is" would be a roast for the ages.

TomMasz@piefed.social · 57 pts · 236d (2 replies)

Doing what they can to divert attention from Trump's presence in the Epstein files after not doing fuck all about anything else.

IronBird@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 236d

clinton saying under oath trump sucked him off would be great soundbite, and possibly shatter some maga brains would be hilarious

gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 236d

Yeah, and this probably isn't even in the top 10 for terrible things the Clintons have done to politics in this country

Honse@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 53 pts · 236d (3 replies)

Depending on the type of contempt citation, Clinton could either be forced to comply with the subpoena by a federal court, or even face prosecution by the justice department.

Ill believe it when I see it, too much gesturing and posturing these days. Lock him up.

pelespirit@sh.itjust.works · 43 pts · 236d (2 replies)

Yes, we should lock trump and the clintons up for ignoring all of those subpoenas.

ViatorOmnium@piefed.social · 5 pts · 236d (1 reply)

Does any prison have a presidential cell?

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 236d

Call it The Imperial Suite, you could probably get him to go in

phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 43 pts · 236d

Lock her up

Lock him up

Lock trump and all his cronies up

Why? Politics? Nope, because they're all criminals who committed crimes.

organ@lemmy.zip · 41 pts · 236d (3 replies)
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SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 236d (2 replies)

Clintons are center-right neoliberals. They in no way represent anything Left, which has no representation in the USA’s federal government. Hell, even Mamdani as a Social Democrat is just Centre-Left.

Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 236d (1 reply)

Yes and Mamdani is the best you can get since your system is so fucked up that the 2 major parties are both right wing

SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 236d

We have the same problem in Canada, the overton window slithered towards authoritarianism with the takeover of the ‘Progressive’ Conservatives by the Reform party, and the various provincial centre left NDP parties sometimes get power but each time by slipping into the centre.

reddig33@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 236d (1 reply)

Lol. Thinking of all the republicans who couldn’t be bothered to show up for their subpoenas. This game can be played both ways.

I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 235d

Right. All the people here upset with the Clintons for not going to "explain themselves" are missing the point. They have already tried that route, it led nowhere. Remember how many times Hillary was called in to explain her emails?! Trump and the Republicans decided that Congress has no power and the rule of law doesn't matter. Nobody should comply with them.

NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip · 23 pts · 236d

Look... bill is a known sex pest and hilary is a politician with a LOT of skeletons in her closet (also way better at politics than bubba ever was but...).

Any testimonial is going to be tainted by the prosecution. Expect questions like "Is it true that you are a liar who framed our dear president donald j trump" and similar. And even if the objections are recognized (as they should be), it is out there. "Hilary Clinton doesn't deny claims that she framed our dear rapist in chief!" and so forth.

Just because you have very strong feelings as to what should happen to people who rape children doesn't mean you support them being put through a kangaroo court. Especially when it is in service to protecting a different rapist.

BranBucket@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 236d (1 reply)

These two have a chance to do something right, to show real leadership and responsibility, and to kick the fucking doors open and shine the light of day on the whole damn mess.

How many working years do they have left? How viable are they as politicians? What purpose does trying to save their own image serve? Do they really think people give a shit about them anymore? Do they really think they're relevant as anything other than a symbol of why their party has failed the nation?

Fucking spineless.

village604@adultswim.fan · 9 pts · 235d

Bill doesn't have any excuses, but I can definitely understand Hillary not wanting to get involved in an inquiry by a majority Republican Congress. I mean, Trump has literally called for her assassination before.

dogslayeggs@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 236d

Lock him up. Kick him in the balls and lock him up.

Fuck all these people. They knew all this shit was going on and either took part in it themselves or let it happen when they actually had power to stop it.

minorkeys@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 236d

If Trump and his cabal don't have to respect the law, why does anyone else?

SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 236d

Just say you don't want to implicate Donald.

SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world · 16 pts · 236d (1 reply)

Are there democrats on that committee at could ask if Bill was the bubba referenced in the files?

Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 236d

Asking the important questions! And how was Donald's suck technique?

Bill's an ass in many ways but at least he turned the deficit around

dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 14 pts · 235d

Jail for them is literally a tax-paid resort. The worst for them is better than you and I suffer through in employment

TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca · 11 pts · 235d

Who doesn't hold congress in contempt given whom they choose to question and whom they don't?

NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io · 9 pts · 236d

Now this is a distraction from the Epstein files, but fuck it do it anyway.

WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 236d (2 replies)

Any dental is an admission of guilt.

MrSelatcia@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 236d (1 reply)

Especially molars.

tooclose104@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 235d

They a root canal to get to the bottom of this

A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 235d (2 replies)

Clinton has been openly demanding all the epstein files release.

So I wager hes not trying to avoid any personal consequences, so much as hes trying to avoid being made center stage at the distraction circus with a kangaroo court.

phx@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 235d (1 reply)

And why would Clinton need to speak before CONGRESS? He's not a sitting president, in any sort of government position, or AFAIK involved in anything really close to government at all.

If he's a suspect, have the fucking police interview him.

A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 235d

Only reason to drag him before congress (and cameras) is to distract from Trumps actual complicity in not only raping young girls, but trafficking them through Mar-A-Lago.

If there was any actual evidence of Clintons criminal activities, he'd already be arrested and being paraded infront of cameras nonstop by this admin

Skullgrid@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 236d

they must have had one fucked up fling on epstein island for him to be this butthurt about it, probably because of Bill's Dick

CircaV@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 235d
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Randomgal@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 235d

But no guys when we vote them in they'll be different. Trust time bro, they are aren't the same.

bookmeat@lemmynsfw.com · -1 pts · 235d

Everyone has known for a very long time that he would refuse. This is performative.