In a congressional inquiry into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, former US President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, will testify, according to a spokesman for the former president.
The Clintons’ announcement on Monday may prevent the Republican-led House of Representatives from holding the prominent Democratic Party veterans in contempt for their refusal to appear before legislators, a move that might result in criminal penalties.
The previous Secretary of State and President will be present. In a social media post, Angel Urena, the deputy chief of staff for the Clintons, stated, “They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”
The news was placed by Urena above a statement made earlier on Monday by the House Oversight Committee accusing the Clintons of “trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment” and “defying lawful subpoenas.”
The Oversight Committee declared, “The Clintons are not above the law.”
The couple’s refusal to testify over their relationship with Epstein led the Oversight Committee to suggest last week that they be held in contempt.
The Clintons had offered to assist with the committee’s inquiry into Epstein, but they declined to make an in-person appearance, claiming that the investigation was a partisan ploy to shield Epstein’s old buddy, President Donald Trump.
Although he did not specify whether the chamber would abandon its scheduled contempt vote, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the Clintons’ announcement.
He remarked, “That’s a good development.” “We anticipate that everyone will abide by the subpoenas issued by Congress.”
Democrats claim that rather than carrying out proper oversight, the House investigation is being used as a tool to target Trump’s political rivals, who have not been asked to testify despite having a long history with Epstein.
After months of attempting to stop the publication of investigative files connected to Epstein, Trump was compelled to order the release of millions of papers in the case due to pressure from his Make America Great Again (MAGA) camp and some Republican senators.
After leaving office in the early 2000s, Bill Clinton took multiple flights aboard Epstein’s aircraft. He has apologized for the association and claimed to have been unaware of Epstein’s illegal activities.
Hillary Clinton said that she never traveled to Epstein’s private island, flew on his jet, and had no significant interactions with him.
The disgraced former prince Andrew and former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson are among the notable individuals involved in the Epstein incident, which continues to cast a long shadow over US and now UK politics.
Mandelson’s name appeared more than 5,000 times in the US Justice Department files on Epstein, and UK police confirmed Monday they are looking into allegations of misconduct involving him.
Following the discovery of emails in which he referred to Epstein as “my best pal” and suggested that he seek early release from prison, the seasoned British politician was dismissed as ambassador to the US last year.
Mandelson has denied any misconduct and expressed regret to Epstein’s victims.
