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Woody Allen famously said, "80% of occurrence successful beingness is conscionable showing up." When it comes to Bill and Hillary Clinton and imaginable legislature contempt, it whitethorn beryllium 100%. The 2 politicians person decided to defy lawful subpoenas issued by the House. For the House Oversight Committee, present is besides the clip for contempt proceedings.
Chairman James Comer and the House Oversight Committee are investigating the Jeffrey Epstein contention and person subpoenaed the Clintons to testify. Neither has been accused of transgression conduct.
The Clintons failed to look and, instead, issued a chest-thumping missive of defiance, declaring:
"Every idiosyncratic has to determine erstwhile they person seen oregon had capable and are acceptable to combat for this country, its principles and its people, nary substance the consequences. For us, present is that time."
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The Committee is apt to hold that "now is that time" and the consequences are the start of contempt proceedings.
On August 5, 2025, the Committee approved the subpoenas. Former President Clinton’s deposition was initially acceptable for October 14, 2025. It was past moved to December 17, 2025.
In December, Comer postponed the depositions for a 2nd clip to let the Clintons to be a funeral. However, helium said that their counsel, David Kendall, past declined to connection immoderate alternate dates.
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The ballot to contented the subpoena was taken connected an antithetic bipartisan basis for the often divided Committee. Even Democratic members connected the Oversight Committee, such arsenic Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said that the Clintons indispensable comply.
There was a clip erstwhile subpoenas were viewed arsenic much than discretionary matters. Counsel has insisted that the grounds is unnecessary and a distraction. However, that is not a crushed that immoderate tribunal would presumption arsenic justification for knowingly and repeatedly ignoring a lawfully issued subpoena.
The presumption of the Clintons seems a repetition of the defiance of Hunter Biden, who chose to clasp a property league extracurricular of Congress alternatively than look wrong for his deposition. He was accompanied by Democratic members similar Eric Swalwell.
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At 1 time, Democrats were aghast astatine those who mightiness defy legislature subpoenas.
President Joe Biden maintained that defying subpoenas cannot beryllium tolerated. When subpoenas were issued to Republicans during the House’s January 6 investigation, Biden declared: "I anticipation that the committee goes aft them and holds them accountable criminally."
Two Trump associates — Steven Bannon and Peter Navarro — refused to look successful the House and were rapidly held successful contempt by a bulk of the House, including Swalwell.
I wrote at the clip that these individuals were also undeniably successful contempt of Congress.
Now, however, specified defiance is viewed arsenic righteous and someway excusable by figures specified arsenic New York Representative Dan Goldman, who has routinely chosen governmental implicit organization interests.
The defiance could effect successful a transgression referral for the couple, prosecutions that would reflector those nether the Biden administration.
In 2021, Hillary Clinton mocked Bannon's indictment for contempt of Congress by saying that she planned for a "restful" play arsenic helium prepared for imaginable conviction.
It is an ironic moment. The Clintons are adopting the Bannon strategy that led to his conviction.
At the clip of Bannon's charge, I noted that each helium had to bash was look and invoke his Fifth Amendment close to stay silent. The Committee would past person had to contented an immunity assistance to compel immoderate testimony. The worst happening that you could bash is not appear.
That is precisely what the Clintons conscionable did.
In reality, I expect that neither Clinton is losing immoderate slumber implicit the imaginable of a transgression charge. They person spent their vocation dodging specified prosecutions. Of course, this is simply a Republican-controlled House and a Republican administration.
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What is astir striking is the deficiency of immoderate effort to travel up with a cognizable defense. The Clintons simply chose unfastened defiance. For those who person denounced a two-tier justness system, determination is thing much entitled and privileged than this letter. Such rules bash not use to the Clintons, who consciousness that they person the licence to determine erstwhile they volition appear.
They are incorrect and, similar Bannon, near themselves nary viable ineligible defense. They are simply asserting a benignant of de facto Clinton immunity that could permission adjacent a sympathetic national territory tribunal justice with nary existent alternate to trial. David Kendall is an experienced lawyer, and possibly helium volition uncover a ineligible defence that escapes me. For the moment, I americium baffled by the ineligible strategy. Indeed, I spot nary intelligible ineligible strategy astatine each successful efficaciously saying that "we simply bash not consciousness similar it."
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They look to beryllium repeating the aforesaid transportation that Bill Clinton gave successful the Lewinsky matter: "I inquire you to crook distant from the spectacle of the past 7 months, to repair the cloth of our nationalist discourse, and to instrumentality our attraction to each the challenges and each the committedness of the adjacent American century.
Despite a national justice uncovering that Clinton lied nether oath, it worked. The occupation is that a suspect similar Clinton tin ever reason successful a perjury lawsuit that "it depends connected what the meaning of the connection 'is' is." In this case, it does not beryllium connected what the meaning of the word "testify" is. Whatever the meaning, showing up is simply a captious element. It is hard to reason that you are not successful contempt erstwhile you marque your contempt for the Committee your defense.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY
Jonathan Turley is simply a Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law astatine George Washington University.
He is the writer of the forthcoming "Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution" connected the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
He is simply a nationally recognized ineligible student who has written extensively successful areas ranging from law instrumentality to ineligible past to the Supreme Court. He has written implicit 3 twelve world articles that person appeared successful a assortment of starring instrumentality journals.
Professor Turley besides served arsenic counsel successful immoderate of the astir notable cases successful the past 2 decades including the practice of whistleblowers, subject personnel, erstwhile furniture members, judges, members of Congress, and a wide scope of different clients.
Professor Turley testified much than 50 times earlier the House and Senate connected law and statutory issues, including the Senate confirmation hearings of furniture members and jurists specified arsenic Justice Neil Gorsuch. He besides appeared arsenic an adept witnesser successful some the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
Professor Turley received his B.A. astatine the University of Chicago and his J.D. astatine Northwestern. In 2008, helium was fixed an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to civilian liberties and the nationalist interest.
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