Comer first subpoenaed the Clintons in August, but their attorney responded earlier this month, saying they would provide only “a written proffer of what little information” they have, The New York Post reported.
Comer rejected that offer and insisted on in-person testimony.
“Given the admission that your clients possess some relevant information, your position amounts to a demand that the Committee forgo in-person testimony, potentially relevant to its legislative oversight,” Comer wrote.
He said the argument that the events took place outside of the Clintons’ official duties “misses the Committee’s point.”
“It is precisely the fact President Clinton and Secretary Clinton each maintained relationships with Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell in their personal capacities as private citizens that is of interest to the Committee,” Comer added.
Bill Clinton has been ordered to appear for his deposition at 10 a.m. on Dec. 17.
Hillary Clinton has been directed to sit for her deposition at 10 a.m. the next day.
Experts have said the pair may attempt to assert executive privilege to avoid the depositions, though it is unclear whether that would apply to matters involving their personal lives.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, attended Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding.
After leaving the White House, Bill Clinton flew more than a dozen times on Epstein’s private jet, which was later nicknamed the “Lolita Express.”
Hillary Clinton received campaign donations from Epstein before his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 and was required to register as a sex offender, yet he continued spending time with high-profile business and political figures.
The release of 23,000 Epstein emails, texts, and other documents this week revealed contacts involving figures such as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett, Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Epstein visited the Clinton White House more than a dozen times, and Bill Clinton reported flying on his plane repeatedly.
After Epstein’s 2019 arrest but before he was found dead, a spokesperson for Clinton said the former president had “not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade” and “knows nothing about the terrible crimes.”
Clinton attorney David Kendall wrote in a previous response to the committee that “what we have learned over the years about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is abhorrent.”
“The public’s demand for transparency from its government about their criminality is both understandable and warranted,” Kendall said.
He added that the Clintons “welcome legitimate oversight in this matter that is grounded in fact.”
Kendall also wrote that the former president and former secretary “have little to contribute to that legitimate goal, all of which can be readily submitted on paper.”
Several former officials who received subpoenas in August said they had no relevant information and were allowed to submit written statements instead of sitting for depositions.
That group included former Attorneys General Merrick Garland, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales, along with former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.
Mueller’s subpoena was withdrawn after his team disclosed his 2021 Parkinson’s diagnosis.
Only former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served during Epstein’s 2019 arrest, appeared for questioning.
Epstein was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and found dead in his Manhattan jail cell the following month.
The Justice Department concluded this past July that no third parties could reasonably be charged and said Epstein did not keep a “client list” or blackmail material.
The Oversight Committee says the Clintons still hold unique information relevant to their investigation and is prepared to compel their testimony.
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