Clintons agree to filmed Epstein depositions after bipartisan contempt vote advances in House

Bill and Hillary Clinton will sit for transcribed, filmed depositions before the House Oversight Committee later this month—but only after a bipartisan contempt vote forced their hand.

The former president and former secretary of state had resisted subpoenas for months. Then Democrats broke ranks.

Nine Democrats on the committee joined all Republicans in voting to advance Bill Clinton's contempt of Congress resolution to a House-wide vote, Fox News reported. Three Democrats voted to advance the resolution against Hillary Clinton. The Clintons' legal strategy collapsed in a single evening.

Six Months of Defiance

On July 23, 2025, Republicans and Democrats on the Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee unanimously approved by voice vote a motion to issue subpoenas to ten individuals, including the Clintons. On August 5, 2025, Chairman James Comer issued those subpoenas.

What followed was a masterclass in elite delay tactics.

Former President Clinton's deposition was initially requested for October 14, 2025. Former Secretary Clinton's was scheduled for October 9, 2025. Both depositions were moved to December—December 17 for Bill Clinton, December 18 for Hillary Clinton. Both declined, citing the need to attend a funeral.

The Committee issued follow-on subpoenas with new dates in January. On January 13, 2026, former President Clinton failed to appear. On January 14, 2026, former Secretary Clinton failed to appear.

Two subpoenas. Two missed deadlines. Two no-shows.

The Contempt Vote That Changed Everything

Chairman Comer appeared on "The Ingraham Angle" Tuesday and explained what finally broke the stalemate. He described the scene when the committee moved to hold the Clintons in contempt:

"We had a markup for contempt when they missed the [original] date that they were supposed to testify."

The Clintons apparently expected a party-line vote—something they could fight in court as partisan overreach. They miscalculated.

"And to their surprise, a majority of Democrats on the Oversight Committee voted with all the Republicans."

Nine of the committee's 21 Democrats joined Republicans in support of the charges against Bill Clinton. That's not a crack in party unity. That's a fracture.

The Week of Pressure

Comer alleged the Clintons didn't take defeat quietly:

"Then they spent a week trying to intimidate me and say our subpoena wasn't lawful, and then try to get the Democrats back together... to not vote for it, to make it a partisan vote, thinking they could beat it in court if it was a partisan vote."

The strategy failed. The Clintons' change of heart led the House to pause proceedings to hold them in contempt on Monday night. Comer had set a noon deadline Tuesday for the Clintons to agree to the GOP's specific terms for depositions. They met it.

What the Committee Wants to Know

The committee is examining what the Clintons may have known about Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. That includes scrutiny of Hillary Clinton's role overseeing U.S. efforts to combat international sex trafficking while serving as secretary of state.

The irony writes itself. The nation's top diplomat charged with fighting sex trafficking networks may have known far more about one of the most notorious sex traffickers in modern history than she ever disclosed publicly.

Bill Clinton, like a bevy of other high-powered men, had a well-documented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He has appeared in photographs with the financier. He has not been accused of wrongdoing in his interactions with Epstein.

But "not accused" is a low bar. The committee isn't conducting a criminal trial. It's seeking answers about what powerful people knew, when they knew it, and whether that knowledge influenced—or failed to influence—official action.

Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a New York jail cell as he faced sex trafficking charges. His death foreclosed any possibility of a trial that might have revealed who in his orbit knew what. Congressional oversight is one of the few remaining avenues for accountability.

Democrats Break with the Clintons

The bipartisan contempt vote deserves closer examination. For decades, the Clintons have commanded extraordinary loyalty from Democratic officials. That loyalty bent Monday night.

Some Democrats on the committee reportedly met with Epstein's victims. Whatever was said in those meetings apparently carried weight. When the moment came to choose between protecting political royalty and pursuing answers for survivors, nearly half the committee's Democrats chose the survivors.

This wasn't a procedural vote on some obscure appropriations bill. This was a contempt resolution against the most powerful couple in modern Democratic politics. And nine Democrats said yes.

The political implications extend beyond this single investigation. If Democrats are willing to break with the Clintons on Epstein—the most radioactive scandal imaginable—what else might fracture? The bipartisan coalition didn't form because Republicans made a compelling argument. It formed because the Clintons' defiance became indefensible.

Full Transparency Promised

Comer made clear the depositions won't happen behind closed doors:

"Every American is going to be able to watch the entirety of this deposition."

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify on February 26, 2026. Bill Clinton will sit for his deposition on February 27, 2026. The sessions will be transcribed and filmed. No selective leaks. No competing narratives about what was really said. The American public will see everything.

This matters. Too many congressional investigations have produced redacted transcripts and carefully curated excerpts that allow both sides to claim victory. Filmed depositions leave no room for spin.

The Broader Document Fight

The Clintons aren't the only reluctant participants in the committee's Epstein investigation. The Department of Justice has produced a fraction of the documents expected so far. The deadline for production passed late last year, and the committee is still waiting.

This pattern—delay, obstruct, produce the bare minimum—has characterized every effort to understand the full scope of Epstein's operation and the powerful people who orbited him. Flight logs. Visitor records. Communication intercepts. The paper trail exists. Getting agencies to release it has proven consistently difficult.

The Clinton depositions represent a breakthrough, but they're only one piece of a larger puzzle. If the former president and former secretary of state answer questions under oath and on camera, the pressure on DOJ to fully comply with document requests intensifies. Accountability has momentum.

What Comes Next

The February depositions will test whether the Clintons cooperate substantively or merely show up. Appearing before the committee satisfies the contempt issue. Actually answering questions is a different matter.

Expect careful lawyering. Expect claims of privilege. Expect statements like "I don't recall" deployed at strategic moments. But also expect that every evasion will be captured on film for the American public to judge.

The committee pursued this testimony for six months. Democrats crossed party lines to demand it. Epstein's victims have waited years for powerful people to answer basic questions about what they knew.

On February 26 and 27, the cameras will roll. The Clintons will raise their right hands. And every American will be able to watch.