Epstein probe brings Clintons into focus

WASHINGTON:

A US House panel was set to vote Wednesday on whether to launch contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton over their refusal to testify before its politically charged investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is weighing two resolutions accusing the former president and former secretary of state of defying subpoenas to appear in person before investigators.

If approved, the measures advance to the full House of Representatives, also majority Republican, which would decide whether to formally cite the Democratic power couple for contempt and refer them to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.

The vote underscores how the Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in US politics and highlighting the sharp partisan battles that have shaped the scandal.

Lawmakers are examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into Epstein, whose 2019 death in custody as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges was ruled a suicide.