US Congress summons Clintons over Epstein probe

The US Congress has summoned Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify in the investigation into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This is even as Republicans warned that they could face contempt charges if they fail to appear.

The Democratic former president and ex-secretary of state were ordered to give closed-door depositions before the House Oversight Committee, which is probing Epstein’s connections to powerful figures and how information about his crimes was handled.

This is coming as President Donald Trump faces mounting calls for transparency after the Justice Department angered his supporters, many of whom believe the financier was murdered in a cover-up, by releasing only a sliver of case files nearly a month past the legal deadline.

According to US media reports, Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear Tuesday morning, with Hillary Clinton following on Wednesday, but neither has confirmed attendance.

“It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes,” the panel’s Republican chairman James Comer said in a statement last month.

“Throughout that time, the former president and former secretary of state have delayed, obstructed and largely ignored the committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony.”