Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, reversing their earlier refusal and averting an imminent contempt vote. As reported by Politico, the decision came just days before the House was set to act.
An Oversight Committee aide confirmed that both the former president and former secretary of state would comply. The move marked a sharp turn after weeks of public resistance to the committee’s subpoenas, just as recent reporting showed internal GOP tensions on unrelated issues like the ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
House leaders had been preparing for a full vote on Wednesday to hold both Clintons in contempt of Congress. That vote would have sent the matter to the Trump Justice Department, where potential criminal penalties could have followed.
A last-minute reversal avoided a contempt showdown
The Oversight Committee’s investigation centers on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Clintons have repeatedly said they had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity, while also arguing that the subpoenas issued to them were invalid because they were not tied to a legitimate legislative purpose. Their actions come as other political figures have faced scrutiny, like Donald Trump suing federal agencies in a $10B suit.
Republican lawmakers rejected that claim and characterized the refusal to appear as defiance of congressional authority. Earlier this year, both Clintons skipped scheduled depositions, prompting the committee to begin contempt proceedings.
In January, the panel voted on a bipartisan basis to advance contempt measures against both of them. That action cleared the way for the House vote that was scheduled to take place this week.
The agreement to testify leaves several questions unresolved. The committee has not announced when the Clintons will appear, and it remains unclear whether House leaders will formally withdraw the contempt measures now that compliance has been pledged.
Published: Feb 2, 2026 07:00 pm