تحت ضغط الكونغرس.. هيلاري وبيل كلينتون يوافقان على الشهادة في تحقيق إبستين

In a notable development, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, agreed to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the ongoing investigations into the case of Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sexual assault and trafficking minors.

This agreement came after months of stalled negotiations, and at a time when the House Rules Committee was preparing to vote on the possibility of holding the Clintons in contempt of Congress, after the Oversight Committee approved contempt resolutions last month.

Clinton's Response: We Will Attend and Set a Precedent

Bill Clinton's spokesperson, Angel Ureña, posted on the platform "X" in response to Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer: "They negotiated in good faith, while you did not. You were informed under oath of everything they know, but you ignored it. Nevertheless, the former president and former secretary of state will be present and look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone."

Tension in Congress and Partisan Disputes

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (Republican from Kentucky) learned of the agreement during a Rules Committee meeting, where tensions escalated as Democrats demanded clarification on whether the committee would proceed with the contempt of Congress resolution. Comer responded that he had not yet reviewed the letter from the Clintons' attorney and needed to examine it before taking any steps.

Comer: The Terms Are Still Unclear

In a subsequent statement, Comer said that the Clintons' attorneys informed the committee of their agreement to the terms, but he noted that these terms "still lack clarity" and did not include specific dates for the hearings. He added: "The only reason for this agreement is the House's movement toward contempt of Congress. We will clarify the agreed-upon terms and then discuss the next steps within the committee."

Comer had previously rejected an offer made by the Clintons, describing it as "unreasonable" and asserting that their request for special treatment was "an insult to the American people's desire for transparency."

Democrats: They Accepted All Demands

In contrast, Representative Robert Garcia (Democrat from California), a senior member of the Oversight Committee, stated that the latest message from the Clintons included full agreement to all the terms set by Comer. He added: "They agreed to testify in response to every request. From the beginning, we wanted to hear from President Clinton, and we encouraged both sides to reach an agreement."

Limited Relationship.. and Denial of Visiting the Island

Bill Clinton acknowledged having limited contact with Jeffrey Epstein between 2002 and 2003, in the context of charitable and humanitarian activities, which included trips on his private plane. In contrast, both he and his wife denied visiting Epstein's island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Despite documentary reports in 2020 mentioning allegations of seeing Bill Clinton on "Little Saint James" island, the couple testified under oath that they did not recall any specific interactions with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, and were unaware of the crimes later charged against them, noting that their last contact with Epstein was more than 10 years before his arrest in 2019.

A Case That Continues to Haunt Washington

Jeffrey Epstein is considered one of the most controversial figures in modern American history, as he was a wealthy financier with extensive connections to powerful political and economic figures before becoming a convicted sex trafficker and abuser of minors. He died in custody in 2019 in an incident officially classified as a "suicide," but it opened the door to ongoing investigations and conspiracy theories that remain present to this day.