The chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Congressman James Comer, claims that attorneys for President Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton are finding “excuses” for delaying their respective depositions in the congressional probe into Jeffrey Epstein.

While he says they are “cooperating” with trying to find a date, Mr. Comer says that the former first couple is weighing other options in how to respond to the investigation. 

Mr. Comer and Speaker Mike Johnson have been pushing back against a bipartisan bill to force a disclosure of all of the so-called Epstein files by claiming that an Oversight Committee probe is a more appropriate avenue for investigating the matter. The Clintons are the last witnesses currently on the schedule to be deposed by the committee, after lawmakers spent the summer questioning former U.S. attorneys general and others involved in the prosecution of Epstein. 

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday, Mr. Comer says that Democrats on the committee are trying to stonewall. 

“The Democrats aren’t helping one bit. You would think because we’ve already brought two former Trump Cabinet secretaries in, they would be willing to bring in a Democrat who’s had — publicly — a far closer relationship with … [Ghislaine] Maxwell and Epstein,” Mr. Comer said at a press conference with the speaker and other congressional leaders on Tuesday. 

After the press conference, he claimed that while the Clintons are currently “cooperating” with the investigation, their attorneys are trying to find excuses to delay certain subpoena requirements. He also implied the former first couple has proposed solutions other than in-person testimony. 

“We’re communicating with their attorney. We’re communicating back and forth,” Mr. Comer said, adding that the ongoing government shutdown has become an “excuse for the attorneys” to delay the depositions.

“I expect to hear from Bill Clinton,” the chairman added. 

“They’ve suggested some things,” Mr. Comer said of potential changes to how the depositions may happen. When asked if having them respond to questions in writing is what they have asked for, Mr. Comer responded with a smile, “Maybe something like that.”

The Clintons’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Mr. Comer’s claims. 

“At the end of the day, we need to hear from Clinton. It’s very public that they had a [much] closer relationship than [Epstein and] Trump. I’m not saying he did anything wrong,” the chairman said of the former president, “but I think Bill Clinton should come in and answer some questions.”

The Clintons were due to come in for separate depositions behind closed doors before the committee earlier this month, though the meetings were put on hold, citing scheduling conflicts. A source on the committee told the Sun at the time that staff were “having conversations with the Clintons’ attorneys to accommodate their schedules.”

Mr. Comer’s investigation of the Epstein saga kicked off earlier this year, after Congressmen Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna introduced a bipartisan bill that would force a release of all Epstein-related documents currently held by the Department of Justice. 

The committee has obtained and released tens of thousands of pages of documents not only from the DOJ, but from Epstein’s own estate, as well. One of the items turned over by the Epstein estate is the infamous “Birthday Book” that included messages allegedly from Mr. Clinton and President Trump, though Mr. Trump has claimed that his letter to Epstein is fraudulent. 

In his brief note to Epstein for his 50th birthday, Mr. Clinton allegedly praised Epstein for his vitality. The former president has not commented publicly on the letter. 

“It’s heartening, isn’t it, to have lived so long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventure and work, and still to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference, and the circle of friends,” Mr. Clinton allegedly wrote.