A significant number of Democratic members sided with Republicans on Wednesday night as the House Oversight Committee voted to advance criminal contempt of Congress resolutions against Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Nine Democrats supported the measure targeting the former President, which passed 34-8-2, though only three backed the resolution against the former Secretary of State, approved by a margin of 28-15-1.
The resolutions accuse the couple of defying subpoenas to testify about their connections to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. If the full House approves the measures, the matter would be referred to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution.
Committee chairman James Comer said five months of negotiations with the Clintons had amounted to a “stall tactic,” accusing them of attempting to delay proceedings until a new Congress might take over the Republican-led investigation. The Clintons’ legal team had proposed a meeting with Mr Clinton in New York without an official transcript, an offer Comer rejected.
A spokesman for the couple disputed the characterisation, stating they had “never said no to a transcript.” He added that interviews conducted by the committee are on the record and under oath, and questioned why the format of documentation had become the central issue.
California Democratic Representative Dave Min, who cast a neutral “present” vote on both resolutions, described the proceedings as political theatre rather than genuine accountability.
Democrats on the committee have separately pressed for contempt charges against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking, as well as US Attorney General Pam Bondi over delayed release of Epstein-related documents.
Maxwell is scheduled to appear virtually before the committee on February 9. She received her original subpoena in July 2025 and was expected to testify the following month.
Her lawyers have indicated she intends to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The committee has declined to offer immunity in exchange for her testimony.
Mr Comer said he hoped Maxwell would reconsider her position.
