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The committee has reached a pivotal decision, opting to recommend charges against both the former president and the former secretary of state. This significant move may lead to further legal action depending on the subsequent steps taken by the House of Representatives.
Should the full House give its nod to these citations, the matter will then be escalated to the Justice Department. At that point, the judicial process will determine the outcome for the two former officials, who, if convicted, could face penalties including a fine of up to $100,000 USD (approximately $147,000 AUD) and a potential one-year prison sentence.
The vote, held earlier today, demonstrated a rare instance of bipartisanship. On the charge against Mr. Clinton, all Republican members of the committee were joined by nine Democrats, showcasing a unified front across party lines. In the case of Mrs. Clinton, three Democrats voted in favor of pursuing charges, indicating a less unanimous but still noteworthy cross-party agreement.
Today’s vote passed on bipartisan grounds, with nine Democrats voting with all the Republicans on the committee on Mr Clinton’s charge.
Three Democrats voted in favour of charging Mrs Clinton.
“No witness, not a former president or a private citizen, may willfully defy a Congressional subpoena without consequence,” committee chair James Comer said.
“But that is what the Clintons did and that is why we are here.”
The Clintons were friends with Epstein, though neither has been implicated in any of his crimes.
“And I think if you ask the victims, ‘Do you want to hear from Bill Clinton?’” Comer said.
“I’m pretty confident I know what the answers will be.”
Mr Clinton had agreed to be interviewed by the chairman and ranking member under specific conditions.
His conditions included the interview be conducted at his New York office and that questions be limited directly to “travel, use of plane, awareness of criminal activities, knowledge of the federal investigation or prosecutions, and efforts by Epstein to gain leverage”.
The committee declined his conditions.
But Democrats would not stand behind the Clintons.
“We should hold anybody connected to Epstein in contempt who will not give us information,” Representative Rashida Tlaib said.
“The survivors deserve transparency and justice.”
Epstein visited the White House 17 times during the Clinton presidency.
There is recent precedent of somebody being jailed for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena.
Trump White House advisors Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were both jailed for four months in 2024 after defying a subpoena.