In a bizarre twist, Bill Clinton receives bipartisan applause following fiery Epstein depositions

Sometimes the bar for good behavior can feel incredibly low. Former President Bill Clinton faced a deposition with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and the biggest takeaway? He was “very cooperative.” That’s right, both Republicans and Democrats actually praised him for simply answering questions.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) seemed impressed, saying that Clinton “did attempt to respond to every single question asked, even when his attorney told him to shut up.” Per The Hill, he also called the Clinton depositions “historical.” Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose deposition was the day before,  are the highest-ranked officials ever deposed by Congress.

On some level, you can see why he found the simplicity of Clinton’s actions so impressive, considering how some recent depositions went down. Attorney General Pam Bondi spent more time deflecting and insulting people than answering questions. Then there was Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator, who refused to speak a word.

We have reached strange times where common courtesy seems abnormal

In his opening statement, Clinton said that he “did nothing wrong” and had “no idea of the crimes” Epstein was committing. “As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing, I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals.” He added, “We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long.”

The Clintons initially resisted the subpoenas, arguing they had no knowledge of Epstein’s activities and that the subpoenas were invalid. But, they relented this month after facing the threat of being held in contempt of Congress. Bill Clinton did warn that he might frequently say he didn’t recall details, explaining, “That might be unsatisfying. But I’m not going to say something I’m not sure of. This was all a long time ago.”

Comer stated that the panel “picked up some new facts” and will be bringing in more people. He’s particularly interested in individuals who spent time with Epstein after his first conviction. He floated the possibility of calling in Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify after he recently admitted to visiting Epstein’s Caribbean island after the 2008 conviction. 

The Democrats argue that by compelling Clinton’s testimony, a new “Clinton rule” has been established: presidents and their families must testify when Congress issues a subpoena. This directly contrasts with what they call the “Trump rule,” where President Trump defied a subpoena from the January 6 Committee, arguing that presidents don’t have to testify. Democrats are now pushing for Trump to face the same standard. 

Comer, however, quickly defended Trump, recounting that when asked if Trump should be called, Bill Clinton responded, “That’s for you to decide,” and added that Trump “has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved.”