Bill Clinton becomes first former president compelled to testify before Congress under subpoena
Clintons initially resisted testifying, facing contempt of Congress charges
Clinton denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes and visits to his private island
Democrats demand Trump also testify about his Epstein connections
This sets a new precedent for how former presidents interact with congressional investigations
📖 Full Retelling
Former President Bill Clinton will appear before the House Oversight Committee in New York on Friday, February 27, 2026, as part of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress under subpoena after a monthslong battle that saw the Clintons initially refuse to cooperate with the inquiry. The deposition comes after a contentious legal battle where the Clintons initially resisted testifying, prompting the Republican-led committee to hold a bipartisan vote recommending criminal contempt of Congress against the couple. The day before Bill Clinton's testimony, his wife Hillary Clinton spent hours with the committee, where she reportedly answered questions but frequently directed investigators to ask her husband about matters related to Epstein. According to Committee Chairman James Comer, Hillary Clinton 'said 'I don't know. You'll have to ask my husband,' more than a dozen times' during her deposition. Bill Clinton's appearance follows the release of photographs showing him with Epstein and revelations that he took several trips with the deceased financier decades ago, though the former president has not been accused of any wrongdoing. In a sworn declaration submitted to the committee last month, Clinton acknowledged using Epstein's private plane in 2002-2003 for philanthropic work through the Clinton Foundation but denied ever visiting Epstein's private island in the Virgin Islands, where many of the alleged crimes occurred.
🏷️ Themes
Congressional Oversight, Legal Precedent, Political Investigations
Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the House. Its chair is one of only three in the...
American financier and child sex offender (1953–2019)
# Jeffrey Edward Epstein
**Jeffrey Edward Epstein** (January 20, 1953 – August 10, 2019) was an American financier and convicted sex offender. He is notorious for orchestrating a massive human trafficking ring, procuring at least 1,000 underage girls and young women for sexual exploitation by himse...
Contempt of Congress is the misdemeanor act of obstructing the work of the United States Congress or one of its committees. Historically, the bribery of a U.S. senator or U.S. representative was considered contempt of Congress. In modern times, contempt of Congress has generally applied to the refus...
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979 and as the gove...
Politics Bill Clinton to testify today in House committee's Epstein investigation By Caitlin Yilek Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio Caitlin Yilek February 27, 2026 / 6:00 AM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Former President Bill Clinton will appear before the House Oversight Committee in New York on Friday as part of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress under subpoena. The closed-door deposition is a victory for Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who won the monthslong battle against Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had vowed to fight the effort. But the Clintons ultimately relented after a bipartisan vote in the committee to recommend holding the couple in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify. Bill Clinton's appearance comes a day after Hillary Clinton spent hours with the committee . According to Republicans, Hillary Clinton repeatedly said some of the questions asked of her should instead be directed toward her husband. "The number of times that she said, 'I don't know. You'll have to ask my husband,' was was more than a dozen," Comer said Thursday. The former president has appeared in photos with Epstein that have been released in recent months and took a handful of trips with him decades ago, but has not been accused of any wrongdoing. In a sworn declaration submitted to the committee last month, Bill Clinton said Epstein offered his private plane to the former president, his staff and his Secret Service detail in support of the Clinton Foundation's philanthropic work between ...
