The House Oversight Committee just dropped a major bombshell, voting to hold both former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in contempt of Congress, as reported by the BBC. This shocking measure comes after the couple refused to comply with subpoenas related to the panel’s ongoing investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
That’s huge news on its own, but what really makes this a massive headache for the Clintons is that this wasn’t just a party-line vote. A significant number of Democrats actually sided with the Republicans to move the measure forward. Nine Democrats voted to hold Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress, and three Democrats voted against Hillary Clinton.
This approved contempt measure now heads to the full House of Representatives for a vote. If it passes the chamber, the matter will be referred directly to the Department of Justice. We’re talking about serious legal consequences here; contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor offense that carries a fine of up to $100,000 and the possibility of imprisonment for up to a year. The DOJ would have the final say on whether to prosecute those charges.
You know things are looking rough when members of your own political party decide to turn on you like that
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer didn’t mince words when he urged the full House to support the measure. He stated that his committee had sent a “clear message” that “no one is above the law, and justice must be applied equally, regardless of position, pedigree, or prestige.”
The Clintons’ legal team has been calling the subpoenas “unenforceable,” arguing that they had already provided the “limited information” they possessed about Epstein. They contended that these were “untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers.” They also claimed these orders were “nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed.”
The subpoenas stem from Bill Clinton’s documented association with Epstein, which included appearing in photographs with the late financier in the 1990s and early 2000s. While Clinton has always denied knowledge of Epstein’s sex offending and has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors, the connection remains a focus for investigators.
The Justice Department recently released several photographs showing the former president at Epstein’s estate, following a new law passed by Congress. One picture shows him swimming in a pool, and another captures him lying on his back in what looks like a hot tub. Bill Clinton’s spokesman, Angel Ureña, addressed the photos when they came out, saying they were decades old and that Clinton stopped associating with Epstein before his crimes became public knowledge.
What’s frustrating for those following the investigation is the severe lack of transparency regarding the larger Epstein files. While the law mandated the release of the majority of documents by December 19, officials have noted that there are still millions of documents that have yet to be made public. Many of the documents that were released included heavy redactions, which weren’t properly explained, even though that was also required by law.
Published: Jan 23, 2026 10:00 am