Democrats on the House Oversight Committee aren't ruling out voting for a Republican measure to hold former President Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to appear before a deposition that was scheduled for Tuesday.
Why it matters: Even as some lawmakers on the panel fume that the contempt vote is hyper-partisan, they also want to draw a stark contrast with Republicans' unwavering defense of President Trump.
- "We want everyone to come in if they know something. They should come in. Including the president," Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) told Axios.
- Frost said members of the panel will "have to see" what the particulars of the measure look like, but "there's definitely a chance" Democrats vote for it.
Driving the news: The former president and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with along with several former attorneys general and FBI directors, were subpoenaed to testify as part of the panel's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
- Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify Wednesday, but attorneys for the Clintons have told the panel they believe the subpoenas are "invalid and legally unenforceable."
- After the aborted deposition, Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters his panel will move next week to hold the ex-president in contempt.
- "We've communicated with President Clinton's legal team for months now ... and they continue to delay, delay, delay. Delaying to the point where we had no idea whether they would show up today," said Comer.
Between the lines: Democrats have fumed that Comer is selectively enforcing subpoenas, with some noting that he has allowed several of the former attorneys general to provide written statements.
- Bill Clinton's spokesperson has said the former president offered to provide a sworn statement as well but was rebuffed.
- Several Democrats said the panel should subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about the Justice Department's failure to release all its documents on Epstein by a congressionally mandated Dec. 19 deadline.
- Others suggested the committee hold Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in contempt for refusing to provide substantive testimony last year without a corresponding immunity deal.
What they're saying: "It seems like Comer is selectively enforcing subpoenas," Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) told Axios. But, she added, "I don't think anyone should be able to avoid sharing information with the committee."
- Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) called out Republicans' "obsession with getting the Clinton tier," but stressed that Democrats "don't care about your party ... when it comes to [Epstein], we just want to get to the truth."
- Another Democratic member of the panel told Axios: "Anybody who has anything to do with hurting women and girls, they should be held to account ... I also think that this fixation on partisanship in this conversation is ridiculous."
- Said a second Democrat who spoke anonymously: "We've always said from day one we want to talk to everyone. That continues to be the case. And it's also clear that this is a hyper-partisan attack."
The other side: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — the Democrat who, along with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), has led the effort to release the Epstein files — told Axios he opposes holding Clinton in contempt.
- "I don't think we should hold President Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt," he told Axios.
- "We should work with them and figure out what they can tell us, but it needs to be done broad base. The person we need to be holding in contempt is Pam Bondi."
What to watch: Frost said Democrats may try to attach their own measures — such as a Bondi subpoena or contempt resolution — if Republicans move ahead with holding Clinton in contempt.
- "If they put something forward, you'll probably see us put other things forward with it," he told Axios.
- If the Clinton contempt measure reaches the House floor, a senior House Democrat told Axios, "some" party members will likely vote for it.
