Republicans say Clintons danger contempt of Congress over Epstein depositions : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4681x3121+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdd%2Fca%2F6c87ed03499ca8fff8ee21e18232%2Fap25020680805891.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4681x3121+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdd%2Fca%2F6c87ed03499ca8fff8ee21e18232%2Fap25020680805891.jpg" class="img" alt="Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive for the inauguration in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. House Republicans are seeking testimony from the Clintons about their past ties with Jeffrey Epstein." fetchpriority="high"/> Former President Invoice Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive for the inauguration within the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. Home Republicans are in search of testimony from the Clintons about their previous ties with Jeffrey Epstein. Melina Mara/The Washington Put up by way of AP cover caption

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Melina Mara/The Washington Put up by way of AP The Republican-led Home Oversight Committee has introduced plans to carry former President Invoice Clinton, and presumably former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in contempt of Congress.

The committee subpoenaed the Clintons for testimony associated to convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, however the pair say they won't testify.

Home Oversight chairman James Comer, R-Ky., introduced the transfer after President Clinton declined to look for a scheduled Tuesday deposition. The committee was in search of testimony from Hillary Clinton on Wednesday.

"Nobody's accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing," Comer instructed reporters. "I simply discover it odd not solely that they did not present up, however that the Democrats on the committee so involved about attending to the underside of the Epstein investigation did not even hassle to indicate."

Among the many information launched by the Justice Division are pictures of Epstein touring with President Clinton, who has mentioned he knew nothing of the financier's crimes and reduce ties with him years in the past.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5222x3482+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F3a%2Fa3585eed4c07baba9198be048dc9%2Fap26013639683161.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5222x3482+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F3a%2Fa3585eed4c07baba9198be048dc9%2Fap26013639683161.jpg" class="img" alt="House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, refused to appear for a deposition as part of the panel's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein at the Capitol on Tuesday." loading="lazy"/> Home Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after former President Invoice Clinton and his spouse, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, refused to look for a deposition as a part of the panel's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein on the Capitol on Tuesday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP cover caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP In a Tuesday letter to the committee, the Clintons referred to as the subpoenas legally invalid and mentioned they've already supplied in writing what little they know.

They mentioned the push is designed to embarrass political rivals, writing, "Each individual has to resolve once they have seen or had sufficient and are able to struggle for this nation, its ideas and its folks."

Democrats on the oversight committee, who signed off on the subpoenas as half of a bigger record, have famous that a lot of the different folks haven't been pressured to testify.

College of Kentucky Legislation professor Jonathan Shaub says the congressional subpoena is a key oversight device, however, "In latest many years, it is change into an increasing number of about scoring political factors or exposing embarrassing materials for the opposite facet and fewer about getting info that Congress really must legislate."

Shaub, an professional on the Structure's separation of powers, says if a contempt decision passes the total Home and the Justice Division prosecutes the Clintons, it might spark a authorized battle with bigger implications as a result of there may be comparatively restricted case legislation in terms of congressional contempt resolutions.

"When you will have circumstances like this, the place there's little or no, if any, veneer of a legislative curiosity, it might find yourself undermining oversight energy at a time the place Congress has ceded a lot authority to the manager department," Shaub mentioned.

In the meantime the Justice Division has but to launch thousands and thousands of pages of information pertaining to Epstein, weeks after the December deadline set by Congress.

"WHERE ARE THE EPSTEIN FILES," Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the Oversight committee's rating member wrote Tuesday on social media.

Contempt of Congress fees generally is a highly effective, albeit not often used device. After failing to cooperate with Democrats for his or her investigation into the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, two shut allies of President Trump, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, had been sentenced to jail. Every served 4 months in jail.