It’s official…. As was widely expected, Bill Clinton has ignored a bipartisan Congressional Subpoena and refused to show to Congress today. It appears as though he thinks he is above the law, probably because until now he has been. We will find out if Hillary shows up tomorrow, but it appears almost entirely unlikely that she will testify. Now comes justice. Watch here: Bill Clinton seems to think he’s above the law and refused to show for his deposition today.@GOPoversight will begin contempt of Congress proceedings against former President Clinton for his failure to appear before Congress after a historic bipartisan subpoena. pic.twitter.com/zx1GXDX9bE — Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) January 13, 2026 TRANSCRIPT: I think, uh, everyone knows by now Bill Clinton did not show up. And I think it’s important to note that this subpoena was voted on in a bipartisan manner by this committee. This wasn’t something that I just issued as chairman of the committee. This was voted on by the entire committee in a unanimous vote of the House Oversight Committee to subpoena former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Now, Hillary Clinton is supposed to show up tomorrow. We’ll see what happens there. But with respect to the former president, he, he did not show up today. Uh, one reason I think most Americans want President Clinton to answer some questions is because Jeffrey Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president. I’ve been in Congress 9 years. I think I’ve been to the White House 9 times in 9 years. Epstein was in the White House double the amount of time that I was under one president. And then we know that Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane somewhere around 27 times after the presidency. So no one’s accusing Bill Clinton of anything, any wrongdoing. We just have questions, and that’s why the Democrats voted along with Republicans to subpoena Bill Clinton. Not a single Democrat showed up today. Not a single Democrat. The ones that, that have press conferences on the Capitol steps and talk about how they’re trying to get justice for the victims and all that, it just seems like they only care about questioning Republicans. And we’ve had a former Trump cabinet secretary, Acosta, in for a grilling. We had Bill Barr, former attorney general, in for a grilling. But for whatever reason, President Clinton didn’t show up and the Democrats on the committee don’t seem to have a problem. This is the amount of preparation that went into this deposition today. These were the questions that we were prepared to ask. We’ve communicated with President Clinton’s legal team for months now, giving them opportunity after opportunity to come in, to give us a day, and they continue to delay, delay, delay. It reached the point where we had no idea whether they were gonna show up today or not. I think it’s very disappointing. As a result of Bill Clinton not showing up for his lawful subpoena, which again, was voted on unanimously by the committee in a bipartisan manner, we will move next week in the House Oversight Committee markup to hold former President Clinton in contempt of Congress. I warned you about this two days ago… Here’s what likely happens next: Bill and Hillary Clinton Face Contempt of Congress Charges The New York Post is reporting that Bill and Hillary Clinton are facing contempt of Congress charges. See here: Bill and Hillary Clinton face contempt of Congress for dodging on Epstein subpoenas again https://t.co/AC4QPChTw5 pic.twitter.com/ktbLeemshI — New York Post (@nypost) January 9, 2026 To be fair and a little more clear, they WILL face contempt of Congress charges if they don't show up to testify next week when required to do so. The reason this is a story now is that they already dodged one date and they still have not confirmed they plan to attend next week. What?  Bill and Hillary being shady?  Color me shocked!  [sarcasm alert!] Here is more from the NY Post: Bill and Hillary Clinton are facing contempt of Congress charges if they don’t appear before a House committee next week to testify in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The couple was originally scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee in December but those appearances were moved to January 13 for him and the 14th for her at the request of the couple, who cited a conflict. But now they haven’t confirmed they will be there next week. And Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chairman of the panel, said he’ll slap them with contempt if they don’t show. “The Clintons have not confirmed their appearances for their subpoenaed depositions,” a spokesperson for the committee told the New York Post. “They are obligated under the law to appear and we expect them to do so. If the Clintons do not appear for their depositions, the House Oversight Committee will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings.” Ok so now the most obvious question: what real penalties or consequences might they actually face? Here's a good summary: Contempt of Congress Enforcement and Penalties The most extreme penalties for Contempt of Congress depend on the method used by Congress to enforce it. There are primarily two relevant paths in modern practice: criminal contempt (the statutory route under 2 U.S.C. § 192) and inherent contempt (Congress's direct, non-statutory authority, rarely used today). Criminal Contempt of Congress (Most Common Modern Path) This is the standard process where Congress certifies a contempt citation to the U.S. Attorney for potential prosecution in federal court. It is a misdemeanor offense for willfully refusing to appear, testify, or produce documents in response to a valid subpoena. Maximum penalties upon conviction: Imprisonment: Up to 12 months (1 year) in jail. Fines: Up to $100,000 (with a minimum fine of $100 in the original statute, though the fine cap has been adjusted upward over time via general federal sentencing provisions). Sentencing Details: Minimum imprisonment in some descriptions: Not less than one month (30 days). Judicial Discretion: Actual sentences are often lighter, determined by a judge considering federal sentencing guidelines (e.g., Steve Bannon served 4 months in 2024 after his 2022 conviction). Execution: This is the route typically threatened or used in high-profile cases involving subpoenas, as it relies on the Department of Justice for prosecution (which can decline, especially in executive privilege disputes). Inherent Contempt (Rare and Extreme Direct Enforcement) Congress can exercise its inherent (constitutional) power to hold someone in contempt without referring to the courts or DOJ. This involves the House or Senate conducting its own proceedings, potentially arresting/detaining the person via the Sergeant-at-Arms, and imposing punishment directly. Historical Context: Historically, this has included short-term imprisonment (e.g., 10 days in a 1934 Senate case), but punishment generally cannot extend beyond the end of the current congressional session. Modern Proposals: Modern proposals and attempts (e.g., resolutions in recent years) have focused on monetary fines rather than detention, with suggested caps like $100,000 total or escalating daily fines (e.g., $10,000 per day in failed 2024 attempts). Practical Limitations: No recent successful use of inherent contempt has imposed extreme long-term penalties, and legal opinions (especially from the executive branch) often challenge its application against officials citing executive privilege. Summary of Findings In summary, the harshest realistic maximum under current law and precedent is up to 1 year in prison plus a $100,000 fine via criminal contempt prosecution. Inherent contempt theoretically allows for immediate detention or fines but has not been used for severe, prolonged punishment in modern times and remains limited by practical and constitutional constraints. Prosecution and severe outcomes are rare due to political discretion and separation-of-powers issues.