Mastodawn

#law #Epstein #RevengePolitics #PerformancePolitics

Indeed, on Tuesday morning #JimComer was planning to hold a “deposition” at the time that #Clinton had been summoned, with a chair left empty to illustrate his absence, & move quickly to hold the couple in #contempt should he fail to show up.

“We are confident that any reasonable person in or out of #Congress will see, based on everything we release, that what you are doing is trying to punish those who you see as your enemies & to protect those you think are your friends,” they wrote.

In the letter, the #Clintons said they had anticipated that #JimComer would still direct his committee to seek to hold them in #contempt, & they expected him to “release irrelevant, decades-old photos that you hope will embarrass us.”

In a letter that touched on #Trump’s #immigration crackdown, his use of the #DOJ to prosecute his enemies & even #Republicans’ opposition to extending #healthcare subsidies, the #Clintons accused #JimComer of potentially bringing #Congress to a halt to pursue a politically driven process “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.” [they’re not wrong]

The #Clintons have repeatedly said they have no knowledge relevant to the investigation.

But Tues, they went further, publicly going to war against #JimComer on the matter with moves that appeared to lay the predicate for what could be a messy #legal battle.

They did so by submitting an 8-page legal letter laying out why they considered the subpoenas “invalid & legally unenforceable,” then followed up with a scorching missive that they signed jointly, promising to fight #JimComer on the issue for as long as it took.

In the letter, the #Clintons noted that they had proactively provided Comer with sworn statements similar to ones he had accepted from 7 or 8 other fmr law enforcement ofcls he had also subpoenaed & then excused from testifying.

#law

#JimComer has repeatedly threatened to hold the #Clintons in #contempt if they failed to appear for live depositions behind closed doors, typically a first step in referring someone to the #DOJ for prosecution. He had set a deadline of Tuesday for #BillClinton to appear, & Wednesday for #HillaryClinton.

But hours before the deadline, the Clintons made clear that they had no intention of presenting themselves on Capitol Hill to be questioned by Comer & members of his committee.

Comer’s relentless efforts to force them to testify reflect his overall approach to his panel’s #Epstein inquiry. As the chair of the #House #Oversight Cmte, #JimComer has sought to shift the focus from #Trump’s ties to the convicted sex offender & his admin’s decision to close its investigation into the matter without releasing key information. Instead, he has sought to shift the spotlight onto prominent #Democrats who once associated with Epstein & his longtime companion #GhislaineMaxwell.

Bill & Hillary #Clinton refused Tuesday to testify in the #House’s #JeffreyEpstein investigation, escalating a monthslong battle with Rep #JimComer (R-KY) & effectively daring him to follow through on his threats to hold them in #contempt of #Congress.

“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough & are ready to fight for this country, its principles & its people, no matter the consequences,” the #Clintons wrote in a lengthy letter to Comer. “For us, now is that time.”

#law