Bill and Hillary Clinton spent decades as Democrats' golden couple.
Those days are over.
And the Clintons drew a line in the sand with one statement that has Congress ready to lock them up.
Both Clintons Defy House Subpoenas Over Epstein Testimony
Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to show up for scheduled depositions this week as part of the House Oversight Committee's investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Both skipped their court-ordered testimony Tuesday and Wednesday.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer announced the committee will vote next week to hold both Clintons in criminal contempt of Congress.
Criminal contempt carries up to a year behind bars and a $100,000 fine.
The subpoenas came after a bipartisan vote in August by the Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee.
Bill Clinton was supposed to answer questions about flying on Epstein's private jet in the early 2000s and the family's ties to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Justice Department released photos in December showing Bill Clinton traveling with Epstein and Maxwell between 2002 and 2003.
Hillary's lawyers say she has no connection to Epstein or his plane and doesn't remember ever talking to him.
But Comer isn't buying it.
He's "skeptical" the Clintons have only limited information and said it's up to Congress to determine what's relevant.
The Clintons sent an eight-page letter to Comer on Tuesday morning blasting the subpoenas as "legally invalid."
They compared Comer's investigation to Joseph McCarthy's 1950s abuse of congressional power.
Clintons Claim Congress Is Pursuing Partisan Witch Hunt
The Clintons wrote that Comer is pursuing "partisan politics" instead of investigating how the government failed to prosecute Epstein's crimes.
"Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences," the Clintons wrote.
"For us, now is that time."
That's the line that sealed their fate.
The Clintons are telling Congress they won't comply no matter what.
They're prepared to go to prison over this rather than testify under oath about their Epstein connections.
Their lawyer David Kendall argued other government officials were excused after providing written statements saying they had no relevant knowledge.
Five former attorneys general avoided testifying this way.
But Comer noted those officials "lacked any relevant information to the Committee's investigation or otherwise had serious health issues that prevented their testimony."
The Clintons are different because they had personal relationships with Epstein and Maxwell stretching back years.
Steve Bannon And Peter Navarro Set The Precedent
The Clintons are gambling that the Justice Department under Trump won't prosecute them even if the House votes for contempt.
That's what happened when the GOP-led House held Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt in 2024 for refusing to turn over audio of Joe Biden's special counsel interview.
The Biden DOJ simply declined to prosecute.
But two Trump allies weren't so lucky.
Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were both convicted of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the January 6 committee.
Both were sentenced to four months in prison.
Bannon was ordered to report to prison on July 1, 2024 after losing his appeals.
Navarro is currently serving his four-month sentence at a federal prison in Miami after the Supreme Court rejected his emergency appeal.
The key difference was the targets.
Democrats controlled the DOJ when Bannon and Navarro were prosecuted.
Now Republicans control both the House and the DOJ.
Trump has publicly called for the federal government to investigate Bill Clinton's Epstein ties.
Attorney General Pam Bondi won't need much convincing to prosecute if the House refers the case to DOJ.
The Clintons spent decades operating above the law.
Those days just ended.
Their defiant letter to Congress practically dared Comer to hold them in contempt.
He's about to call their bluff.
Sources:
- James Hill and Lauren Peller, "Clintons say 'now is that time' to 'fight for this country' as they're targeted for contempt," ABC News, January 13, 2026.
- Kyle Stewart et al., "House GOP seeks to hold Bill Clinton in contempt for skipping Epstein deposition," NBC News, January 13, 2026.
- "House GOP moves to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress in Epstein probe," Axios, January 14, 2026.
- "Steve Bannon ordered to report to prison July 1 in contempt of Congress case," CBS News, June 6, 2024.
- "Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro sentenced to 4 months for contempt of Congress," NPR, January 25, 2024.