Former President
A full House vote had been planned this week to hold the Clintons in criminal contempt if they continued to defy subpoenas in its inquiry into Epstein and his activities.
Testimony by a former president to a congressional body is almost unheard of.
The Clintons “have agreed to appear for transcribed, filmed depositions to face questioning as part of the investigation related to Jeffrey Epstein’s and
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of recruiting girls for sexual abuse by him and and participating in some of the assaults. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Bill Clinton has said that he parted ways with Epstein many years before his death in a New York jail cell in 2019, and that he had no knowledge of his crimes.
The House Oversight Committee, which is leading the probe, added new stipulations on Tuesday morning, including requiring the interviews be videotaped, the Clintons’ lawyers wrote in portions of a letter shared with Bloomberg News. The Clintons also offered alternate dates of March 2-3.
A committee spokesperson said the panel typically records depositions.
The Clintons’ attorneys renewed calls for the hearings to be open to the public, rather than behind closed doors. The committee has also taken other depositions in the investigation behind closed doors.
The Clintons’ attorneys said opening the full testimony to the public would address their concerns about fairness.
On Monday, the Clintons had agreed to testify to fend off a full House vote planned this week to hold the former president and his wife, a former secretary of state, in criminal contempt if they refused to comply with subpoenas in its inquiry into Epstein and his activities.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Mike Dorning
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved. Used with permission.