Clinton, 79, appeared before the committee one day after his wife former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her own deposition on Thursday (February 26). Hillary Clinton claimed that she didn't know Epstein, never encountering him, nor visited him on his notorious island, home or office during her deposition, which was briefly paused after Rep. Lauren Boebert leaked an unauthorized photo of her midway through her testimony and included off subject questions about UFOs and the since-debunked 'Pizzagate' conspiracy.

"So if they are going to fulfill their responsibilities to literally investigate the investigations, which is what they originally said was the scope of their work, I think they could have spent the day more productively," she said via ABC News.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced the Clintons would appear for depositions in a press release shared on February 3.

"Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have been clear: no one is above the law—and that includes the Clintons. After delaying and defying duly issued subpoenas for six months, the House Oversight Committee moved swiftly to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings in response to their non-compliance. Once it became clear that the House of Representatives would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month. We look forward to questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors," said Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).

Comer had previously called for charges against the Clintons Monday evening, claiming they defied a congressional subpoena when their attorneys emailed staff for the Oversight panel and said they'd accept Comer's demands and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates.” Attorneys for the Clintons requested that Comer agree not to move forward with contempt proceedings, but the Kentucky Republican said he was not immediately dropping the charges, which could result in a substantial fine and possible incarceration if passed by the House and prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

“We don’t have anything in writing,” Comer told reporters, noting that he was open to accepting the Clintons’ offer, though “it depends on what they say," via the Associated Press.

In December, former President Clinton called for the release of all files related to Epstein in order to avoid further insinuation of wrongdoing against people "who have been repeatedly cleared" in a statement shared by his longtime spokesman Angel Ureña. Clinton was seen in several photos released by the Justice Department on December 19 in adherence with the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress, which included one in a hot tub and others with celebrities, while the department was criticized for withholding hundreds of thousands of pages of additional files.

"The Epstein Files Transparency Act imposes a clear legal duty on the U.S. Department of Justice to produce the full and complete record the public demands and deserves," the statement from Ureña reads. "However, what the Department of Justice has released so far, and the manner in which it did so, makes one thing clear: someone or something is being protected. We do not know whom, what or why. But we do know this: We need no such protection.

EJ