House GOP leaders set noon deadline for Clintons to reach deal on testifying

Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview Tuesday morning that Republicans have given Bill and Hillary Clinton a noon deadline Tuesday to provide details of how they plan to comply with a pair of subpoenas issued by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which have until this point gone unheeded.

Otherwise, Johnson said, Republicans will move forward with votes later this week to hold the former president and secretary of state in criminal contempt of Congress.

“We're holding off until noon,” Johnson said. “They have a deadline until noon to work out the details, and if it's not done satisfactorily, then we'll proceed with the contempt.”

Majority Leader Steve Scalise also said in an interview that, if the details aren't provided, then Republicans will proceed with a vote Wednesday as leadership had initially intended before the Clintons surprised Capitol Hill by reversing course. They had for months been resisting subpoenas to testify in the House Oversight investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the process was invalid and designed to embarrass and put them in prison.

According to a person granted anonymity to share internal discussions between the Oversight Committee and the Clintons' legal team, the GOP-led panel is seeking clarification that the Clintons will accept the standard deposition terms for which they were originally subpoenaed. That includes transcribed, filmed depositions to take place in February, with no time limits.

House Republicans appeared somewhat cautious Tuesday morning about pulling the trigger on the contempt votes, however. House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) was still interested in speaking with the former first couple in the service of his ongoing investigation — even after months of them dragging their feet — and Republicans continue to see the threat of contempt as a legitimate persuasion mechanism.

"What we need is a signature on agreeing to terms," said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who brought the initial request in the Oversight subcommittee to subpoena the Clintons, in an interview. “I think we should have the deposition, but the contempt resolution needs to hang there and be available until we’re done."

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) also emphasized in an interview that the threat of contempt has historically provided an important piece of leverage to compel testimony. The goal was always for the Clintons to cooperate, he added.