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Former president Bill Clinton said on X that he has shared what he knows about the crimes of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in a sworn statement shared with the House Oversight Committee, which both Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in front of under subpoena pressure.
"I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know," the former president said on X, formerly Twitter, Friday afternoon. "And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee."
In the wake of news that the Clintons would comply with House Republicans' subpoenas to testify, after concerns they would not and subsequent threats of contempt, Republicans accused the Clintons of "trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment."
LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA
Former President Bill Clinton was seen pictured in a hot tub in the newly released Epstein files. (Department of Justice)
The Clinton's attorneys sent the House Oversight Committee a letter, made public earlier this week, indicating they would comply and testify under certain conditions, such as that their testimonies be open, filmed and transcribed.
Democrat Ranking Member of the committee, Robert Garcia, said the agreement amounted to full compliance with the committee’s demands.
However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer disputed the characterization, telling Fox News Digital the agreement lacked specificity. In a post on X, the Republicans on the committee accused Clinton of "trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment."
"The Clintons’ counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet again, and they have provided no dates for their depositions," Comer said. "The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt. I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members."
Then-US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton makes a concession speech after being defeated by Republican president-elect Donald Trump as former President Bill Clinton(L) and running mate Tim Kaine look on in New York on November 9, 2016. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)
The Clintons' change of heart led the House to temporarily pause proceedings on holding them in contempt on Monday night.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the committee have pointed out that Comer has not pushed to hold others who did not appear in contempt, nor has he made any threats against the DOJ for failing to produce all of its documents on Epstein by a deadline agreed to by Congress late last year. The department has produced a fraction of the documents expected so far.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., posited that the Clintons did not expect Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to support proceedings to hold them in contempt. (JP Yim/Getty Images for New York Hilton Midtown; Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
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"Now, Chairman Comer says he wants cameras, but only behind closed doors. Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice," Clinton said in his X post on Friday afternoon. "Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics."
"I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared," he continued. "If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about."
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
