Jamie Raskin’s surprising offer on Clinton contempt resolutions comes with a twist — a condition that could upend GOP strategies

Representative Jamie Raskin from Maryland just made a move that could change the House GOP’s plans this week. He offered a surprising vote swap on contempt resolutions that puts Republicans in a tough spot. Raskin, a well-known Democrat, said Sunday that he will vote to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress. 

But there’s one strict condition: the House must also vote on holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt. According to The Hill, he made his offer clear during an appearance. Raskin said, “I will vote yes on contempt against them and anybody else, as long as Pam Bondi is part of it.”

If Republicans only move forward with resolutions against the Clintons, Raskin said he will vote no. He wants a complete approach, not just a one-sided political win. “I will definitely vote no on any partisan measure, one side or the other. I want all of the information from everybody, and I want everybody to come forward and comply,” he said.

Raskin’s demand puts GOP leaders in a difficult position

This creates a problem for House GOP leaders, who plan to hold full floor votes on Wednesday to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress. Republicans have faced criticism for their legislative productivity this session. The resolutions against the Clintons come from their alleged refusal to show up for depositions after being subpoenaed by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The depositions were part of an ongoing investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Democrats want Bondi held in contempt because of how the Department of Justice has handled the Epstein files. She is accused of not fully following the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the DOJ to release all files related to Epstein.

Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Bondi and the DOJ for delaying the release of these files and only providing a small portion of the documents they have. Rep. Ro Khanna from California, who helped write the transparency law, pointed out a major problem. 

Khanna said the DOJ originally identified over six million potentially relevant pages, “but is releasing only about 3.5 million after review and redactions. This raises questions as to why the rest are being withheld.” The idea of holding Bondi in contempt isn’t new. Last month, Rep. Summer Lee from Pennsylvania introduced an amendment during the committee process to hold Bondi in contempt for failing to release the Epstein files. That amendment failed, but it showed how serious this issue is for many lawmakers.

The committee votes on the Clintons weren’t completely partisan. The resolution to hold Bill Clinton in contempt passed 34-8, with nine Democrats voting in favor. These included Reps. Maxwell Frost, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib, Lee, and Rep. Melanie Stansbury also voted for the Hillary Clinton contempt measure. Meanwhile, other GOP members have faced controversies of their own recently.

Since some Democrats already voted against the Clintons, Raskin’s offer is a real attempt to turn a partisan vote into a genuine push for transparency from everyone. If Republicans truly want accountability, they must decide whether they’re willing to include their own Attorney General in the process.