Clinton to Testify Before Congress
Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify before Congress regarding his alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the first time a former president has appeared before lawmakers in over forty years. The hearings are seen as a sign of the Clintons' diminished influence within the Democratic Party and will focus on his past associations and the party's response to the scandal NBC News, USA TODAY.
The last time a former U.S. President testified before Congress was in 1983, when Gerald Ford discussed the upcoming 200th anniversary of the Constitution. Ford also voluntarily testified before a House subcommittee in October 1974 to explain his pardon of Richard Nixon. Historically, several presidents have appeared before congressional committees. Abraham Lincoln voluntarily testified before the House Judiciary Committee in 1862 concerning a leaked message. After leaving office, Theodore Roosevelt testified twice about a U.S. Steel deal and corporate campaign donations. Bill Clinton's association with Jeffrey Epstein began in the early 1990s and included donations to his 1992 presidential campaign and visits by Epstein to the White House. Records show Epstein visited the White House 17 times between 1993 and 1995. After his presidency, Clinton took four trips on Epstein's private jet in 2002 and 2003 for work related to the Clinton Foundation. A spokesperson for Clinton has stated he was unaware of Epstein's crimes and had not spoken with him in over a decade before Epstein's 2019 arrest. The former president's testimony comes after months of dispute over a congressional subpoena from the House Oversight Committee. The committee ultimately scheduled a vote to hold him in contempt of Congress, which prompted Clinton to agree to the deposition. Refusing a congressional subpoena can lead to a contempt of Congress charge, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to one year. Congress can also pursue civil enforcement through the courts or use its own "inherent contempt" power to detain an individual.
