The House Oversight Committee has voted to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas related to the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The GOP-controlled committee advanced the contempt resolutions against the Clintons for a full House vote, which should take place within weeks. Several Democrat lawmakers joined Republicans to vote in favor of the contempt resolutions. “Today was a big day for accountability,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said. “We had a bipartisan vote today to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress. This shows that no one is above the law,” he added. Check it out: Oversight Holds the Clintons in Contempt of Congress for Defying Lawful Subpoenas Chairman @RepJamesComer: "Today was a big day for accountability … We had a bipartisan vote to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress. This shows that no one is above the law." pic.twitter.com/91NFv60LaK — Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) January 21, 2026 Fox News has more: The committee voted 34-8 to advance one contempt recommendation against Bill Clinton, with two members voting present, and another on Hillary Clinton in a 28-15 vote, with one member voting present. Nine Democrats voted with Republicans to advance contempt recommendations against Bill Clinton and three Democrats joined Republicans in the vote against Hillary Clinton. The Democrats who voted to advance Bill Clinton’s resolution were: Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., Summer Lee, D-Pa., Stephen Lynch, D-Mass. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Emily Randall, D-Wash., Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. The Democrats who voted to advance Hillary Clinton’s resolution were Stansbury and “Squad” members Lee and Tlaib. “The committee does not take this action lightly. Subpoenas are not mere suggestions,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said of the Clintons’ no-show. “[Subpoenas] carry the force of law and require compliance. Former President Clinton and Secretary Clinton were legally required to appear for depositions before this committee.” “They refused,” he added. If the House votes to refer the Clintons for contempt, it would be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) whether to prosecute. A contempt-of-Congress conviction can carry up to a $100,000 fine and a year behind bars. “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,” the House Oversight Committee previously stated. 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 USA TODAY shared further: Once the matter comes to a full House vote, it will force more Democrats to choose if they want to publicly defend two of their party’s former standard-bearers, whose past ties to Epstein have come under increased scrutiny. Newly unearthed photos of Bill Clinton with the disgraced wealth manager have undercut the party’s criticisms of President Donald Trump and his own previous connections to Epstein, who died in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Only one chamber of Congress has to vote to recommend contempt charges – which can lead to fines and jail time – to the Justice Department. The Clintons, who have urged the full release of the so-called “Epstein files,” have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and argued the subpoenas imposed on them by Republicans are “legally unenforceable.” (Trump has also denied any wrongdoing related to his relationship with Epstein.) Still, the Clintons engaged in talks with congressional lawyers over the course of five months and offered to meet with the committee. But those negotiations broke down after conflicting accounts emerged about whether the pair was amenable to an official transcript of their testimony. “The response we received was not cooperation, but defiance marked by repeated delays, excuses and obstruction,” Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, said ahead of the panel’s vote.