The Epstein files case seems to have hit an impasse, mostly because of who the files actually exposed. Hint: It's not Donald Trump. Yeah, I know: big shock, huh?
Here’s a press release from the House Oversight Committee (emphasis in the original):
WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today issued the following statement regarding the depositions scheduled for December 17, 2025, for former President William J. Clinton and December 18, 2025, for former Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton:
“It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes. Throughout that time, the former President and former Secretary of State have delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the Committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony. If the Clintons fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January, the Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings to hold them accountable.”
On July 23, 2025, Republicans and Democrats on the Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee approved by voice vote a motion to issue subpoenas to ten individuals, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for testimony related to the horrific crimes perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Following the Subcommittee vote, on August 5, 2025, Chairman Comer issued the subpoenas. Based on correspondence with the Clintons’ attorney, it appears that former President Clinton and former Secretary Clinton will be the only individuals that intend to defy these subpoenas.
I can’t imagine why, given that for months we’ve been told by the Demobots on X and Facebook that if the files implicate the Clintons, they’d stop defending them and would call for their arrest and conviction. What in reality has happened is that a silence has fallen over those folks, which is, I think, indicative.
Kathryn Wilkens at MSN reports in a story from December 17:
In a statement released on Friday, House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) threatened to pursue “contempt of Congress proceedings” against the Clintons if they continue to refuse to testify in the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe.
The warning comes after months of stalled negotiations between the committee and attorneys for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both of whom were subpoenaed this summer as part of a bipartisan inquiry into the convicted sex trafficker’s network.
“It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions,” Comer’s statement read. “Throughout that time, the former President and former Secretary of State have delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the Committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony.”
He added that depositions have been scheduled for the couple on Dec. 17 and 18, warning that “if the Clintons fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January, the Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings to hold them accountable.”
Here’s a relevant CBS report from about four months ago.
A good deal of the stalling would appear to focus on, as usual, a technicality. Not if Clinton is linked here, but rather if a former president can be subpoenaed. Lawyer Monthly noted in an article from August:
The legal and political fallout surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s legacy has entered one of its most consequential phases yet: Congress has now subpoenaed Bill and Hillary Clinton as part of a sweeping bipartisan investigation into Epstein’s network of influence and the government agencies that interacted with him. With Bill Clinton formally ordered to testify on 14 October 2025, the move has already triggered a constitutional flashpoint rarely tested in modern history — can a former U.S. president legally refuse a congressional subpoena?
According to the Lawyer Monthly report, here's what Comer's committee is asking for documentation and sworn depositions from:
DOJ Records: August 19, 2025
William Barr (Former Attorney General): August 18, 2025
Alberto Gonzales (Former Attorney General): August 26, 2025
Jeff Sessions (Former Attorney General): August 28, 2025
Robert Mueller (Former FBI Director): September 2, 2025
Loretta Lynch (Former Attorney General): September 9, 2025
Eric Holder (Former Attorney General): September 30, 2025
Merrick Garland (Attorney General): October 2, 2025
James Comey (Former FBI Director): October 7, 2025
Hillary Clinton (Former Secretary of State): October 9, 2025
Bill Clinton (Former President): October 14, 2025
The link between Epstein and the Clintons has been examined for over ten years now. The Lawyer Monthly article (as you might expect) goes long on pointing out the innocence of the Clintons, yet the photographic evidence alone is enough to cause some concern.
One of two things happens here, in my view. Either executive privilege for past presidents dies on this hill, or the Democrats in their haste to defend the Clintons, lose their ability to prosecute anyone else, including Donald Trump, should evidence show up against him... which I note has not happened yet.
The dispute with Bill Clinton will undoubtedly drag on for months, with Clinton's lawyers working every possible angle at keeping the lid on this trash can. It'll be interesting to see how this comes out, specifically if they can hold the dam up until the midterms have passed.
