Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are leaving open the possibility of supporting a Republican-led effort to hold former President Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress after he failed to appear for a scheduled deposition on Tuesday.
While some Democrats are privately criticizing what they describe as a hyper-partisan push by Republicans, several members indicated they do not want to be perceived as shielding Clinton as GOP lawmakers continue to rally around President Donald Trump.
“We want everyone to come in if they know something,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) told Axios.
“They should come in.”
Frost said Democrats are waiting to review the final language of the contempt resolution, but acknowledged “there’s definitely a chance” members of his party could vote in favor of it.
Epstein Investigation at Center of Dispute
The standoff stems from the Oversight Committee’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed alongside several former attorneys general and ex-FBI directors.
Hillary Clinton was also scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
However, like her husband, Hillary Clinton also failed to appear.
Attorneys representing the Clintons have told the committee that the subpoenas are “invalid and legally unenforceable.”
After Bill Clinton failed to appear for his deposition, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said the panel will move next week to hold the former president in contempt of Congress.
“We’ve communicated with President Clinton’s legal team for months now … and they continue to delay, delay, delay,” Comer told reporters.
“Delaying to the point where we had no idea whether they would show up today.”
Democrats Cry ‘Selective Enforcement’
Democrats have accused Comer of selectively enforcing subpoenas, noting that some former attorneys general were allowed to submit written statements rather than appear in person.
A spokesperson for Bill Clinton said the former president offered to provide a sworn statement.
However, the committee rejected the proposal as lawmakers seek to question Clinton about his relationship with Epstein.
Some Democrats are now calling for broader enforcement.
Several lawmakers said the panel should subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department’s failure to release all Epstein-related documents by a congressionally mandated December 19 deadline.
Others suggested holding Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in contempt for refusing to provide substantive testimony last year without an immunity deal.
“It seems like Comer is selectively enforcing subpoenas,” Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA) told Axios.
“I don’t think anyone should be able to avoid sharing information with the committee.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) said Republicans are overly focused on the Clintons, while Democrats are focused on the broader investigation.
“Don’t care about your party … when it comes to [Epstein], we just want to get to the truth,” she told Axios.
Another Democrat lawmaker said, “Anybody who has anything to do with hurting women and girls, they should be held to account …
“I also think that this fixation on partisanship in this conversation is ridiculous.”
A second Democrat, speaking anonymously, echoed that position while still criticizing the process.
“We’ve always said from day one we want to talk to everyone,” the lawmaker said.
“That continues to be the case.
“And it’s also clear that this is a hyper-partisan attack.”
Not All Democrats Agree
Not all Democrats are willing to back a contempt vote.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who has partnered with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on efforts to release Epstein-related files, said he opposes holding the Clintons in contempt.
“I don’t think we should hold President Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt,” Khanna told Axios.
“We should work with them and figure out what they can tell us, but it needs to be done broad base.
“The person we need to be holding in contempt is Pam Bondi.”
The committee is expected to take up the contempt resolution against Bill Clinton next week.
READ MORE – FBI Records Expose Hillary Clinton’s Foreign Donation Deal with Convicted Felon
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.