Clintons reject US Congress subpoena to testify in Epstein investigation

Former United States president and erstwhile caput of authorities impeach Republicans of seeking to ‘harass and embarrass’ with probe.

Former United States President Bill Clinton and erstwhile US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton person refused a legislature subpoena to attest earlier a House of Representatives committee arsenic portion of an investigation into multi-millionaire financier and convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a missive connected Tuesday, the Clintons accused Republican Representative James Comer of playing governmental favourites successful the investigation, seeking to punish governmental opponents similar them, portion shielding allies, including US President Donald Trump.

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The Clintons called the subpoena “legally invalid”, adding the probe by a committee chaired by Comer was “literally designed to effect successful our imprisonment”.

“We volition forcefully support ourselves,” wrote the couple.

In response, Comer said helium volition statesman contempt of US Congress proceedings against the Clintons, who are Democrats, adjacent week.

The lengthy process would yet necessitate support from a afloat ballot of the House. If that were to pass, the Clintons could beryllium prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

“No one’s accusing the Clintons of immoderate wrongdoing,” Comer told reporters connected Tuesday. “We conscionable person questions.”

In their letter, the Clintons contended they had already provided each the applicable accusation they had to the committee, starring them to reason the subpoena to look successful idiosyncratic was lone meant to “harrass and embarrass”.

“We person tried to springiness you the small accusation we have. We’ve done truthful due to the fact that Mr Epstein’s crimes were horrific,” the Clintons wrote.

Epstein committed termination successful 2019 arsenic helium awaited proceedings connected enactment trafficking and conspiracy charges, but speculation has continued to turn implicit the influential radical successful the multi-millionaire’s societal orbit.

Both Bill Clinton and Trump had documented friendships with Epstein, but person denied cognition that helium trafficked underage girls.

Last year, Congress passed a instrumentality requiring the Department of Justice to release each the files related to its probe into Epstein, but the bureau has to day lone released a tiny fraction.

Critics person accused the section of prioritising the merchandise of documents related to Clinton to gully attraction distant from Trump.

In a missive past week, 2 lawmakers, Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie, requested that a national justice name a neutral adept to oversee the merchandise of the files.

The brace said they had “urgent and sedate concerns” that the Justice Department had failed to comply with the law. They added that they believed that “criminal violations person taken place” successful the merchandise process.