House Oversight Chair Comer Rejects Last-Minute ‘Special Treatment’ Offer from Clintons in Epstein Probe

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight Committee, has rejected what he described as a last-minute “special treatment” offer from Bill and Hillary Clinton to cooperate with the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

The rejection comes days before the House is expected to vote on holding them in criminal contempt of Congress.

For months, the Clintons have claimed they would not comply with subpoenas from the Republican-led committee, branding the subpoenas invalid and portraying the probe as political retaliation. They had promised to fight Comer “for as long as it took.”

However, after some Democrats joined Republicans on the Oversight Committee to recommend criminal contempt referrals—a first step toward sending the matter to the Justice Department—the Clintons shifted tactics and proposed limited cooperation.

In a letter obtained by a reporter, their lawyers stated that former President Bill Clinton would agree to sit for a four-hour transcribed interview with the full committee. They also requested that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has maintained she never met or spoke to Epstein, be allowed to submit a sworn declaration instead of testifying.

The letter further noted that Hillary Clinton would agree to an in-person interview if required, but only “with appropriate adjustments for the paucity of information she has to offer in this matter.”

Comer dismissed the offer on Monday morning as “unreasonable,” stating four hours would be inadequate for Bill Clinton, a “loquacious individual” who could try to run out the clock. He also rejected Bill Clinton’s request to limit the interview to matters directly tied to Epstein, calling the former president’s definition of relevance “artificially narrow.”

Comer emphasized his concern that Bill Clinton might refuse to address questions about “his personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, ways in which they sought to curry favor with powerful individuals, and alleged efforts to utilize his power and influence after his presidency to kill negative news stories about Jeffrey Epstein.”

Bill Clinton has acknowledged acquaintanceship with Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019. He has stated he never visited Epstein’s private island and cut off contact two decades ago. Flight logs indicate the 42nd president traveled on Epstein’s private jet during trips in 2002 and 2003.

Philippe Reines, a longtime Clinton adviser, criticized the Oversight Committee Democrats who backed the contempt recommendations. “Republicans are gonna Republican,” he told a reporter. “It’s the Democrats who are disappointing, navel-gazing like this is a legitimate exercise in law and democracy.”

A House vote on contempt could come as early as Wednesday. After such a vote, referrals would be sent to the Justice Department. Contempt charges can include fines up to $100,000 and up to one year in jail. The Clintons previously accused Comer of creating a process “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”