On Thursday, February 5, 2026, Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, issued a direct challenge to James Comer, the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Clinton’s demand is that her upcoming testimony in the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein be held as a public hearing with cameras, instead of a closed-door session.
This confrontation is the latest development in an ongoing disagreement between the Clintons and House Republicans regarding testimony related to the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigation. Following an initial refusal and the threat of a contempt of Congress vote, both Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton consented to testify before the committee.
Through a social media post, Hillary Clinton addressed Comer directly, accusing Republicans of disregarding their sworn statements and shifting the goalposts. “For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath,” she stated. “They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction.”
She then called on Comer to host a public hearing with cameras. “So let’s stop the games. If you want this fight, Rep. James Comer, let’s have it—in public,” Clinton wrote. “You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on. We will be there.”
Comer, a Republican representative from Kentucky, has advocated for closed-door depositions over public hearings. He informed that the depositions would be recorded and transcribed, with Hillary Clinton due to testify on February 26 and Bill Clinton scheduled for February 27.
Comer stated that depositions are the preferred method for gathering information from witnesses. He also welcomed a public hearing after the depositions, expressing that the Clintons can testify in a public setting following their private sessions.
Comer previously stated that the Clintons relented when they faced potential contempt charges. In August 2025, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed both Clintons as part of its investigation into Epstein and Maxwell.
The committee threatened a contempt of Congress vote when the Clintons initially declined to testify. The situation grew more tense when nine Democrats voted to advance the contempt resolution, showing bipartisan support for compelling the Clintons’ testimony. The contempt vote was averted only after the couple agreed to attend depositions at the end of the month.
The Clintons submitted sworn statements to the committee on January 13, but Republicans deemed those insufficient. In their initial refusal to testify, the Clintons claimed the subpoenas were invalid and legally unenforceable. Their legal team stated that they had engaged with Republicans in good faith for six months.
The lawyers representing the Clintons argued that a public hearing would be the most fitting response to their clients’ fairness concerns. They underscored that the couple had already provided the committee with all they knew under oath through their written statements.
The GOP committee responded by stating that the Clintons would try to manipulate the facts, thereby justifying their preference for depositions over public hearings. The committee’s investigation into Epstein and Maxwell is part of a broader inquiry into the convicted sex offender’s crimes and associations.
Neither Hillary Clinton nor Bill Clinton has been accused of any wrongdoing in the investigation. Both Clintons deny any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. No survivor of Epstein’s crimes has publicly accused either Clinton.
Bill Clinton has stated that he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes and severed ties with the financier before 2006. However, undated photos of Bill Clinton found in Epstein’s files have brought his past association with the convicted sex offender under scrutiny.
The Justice Department has released three million pages of Epstein files in an ongoing effort to maintain transparency regarding the case. This extensive document release has reignited public interest in Epstein’s connections to influential figures in politics, business, and entertainment.
President Donald Trump commented on the controversy, expressing disappointment that the Clintons are testifying. Despite their political differences, Trump conveyed seemingly sympathetic feelings for Bill Clinton, whom he claimed to like.
The disagreement over the testimony format reflects deeper issues concerning transparency and accountability in congressional investigations. Public hearings typically generate considerable media attention and allow the public to directly observe witness testimony, while closed-door depositions often yield more candid responses from witnesses due to the lack of political theater.
The recording and transcription of the depositions offer a kind of compromise, creating a record that can be made public while maintaining the private setting that Comer argues is more conducive to thorough questioning. However, Hillary Clinton’s public challenge suggests the couple believes they have nothing to hide and would benefit from the transparency of a live, public hearing.
The forthcoming depositions represent a rare occasion when a former president and a former secretary of state testify before Congress on such a sensitive issue. This comes as House Republicans prioritize oversight of the previous administration and investigations into historical controversies.
The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Epstein is one of several ongoing congressional probes examining Epstein’s crimes and his network of associates. The committee’s work continues as fresh information comes to light through the Justice Department’s document releases.
As the dates of February 26 and 27 approach, the dispute over whether additional public hearings will follow the depositions may continue to play out in public statements and media appearances by both sides. As it stands, the scheduled depositions seem set to proceed as planned, with cameras rolling and transcripts being prepared for potential public release.
