Snow blanketed a quiet New York village as lawmakers carried out a step many historians say had never happened before.
A former president sat for sworn questioning by a congressional committee — not on Capitol Hill, but inside a small performing arts venue in Chappaqua.
According to Fox News, the House Oversight Committee compelled former President Bill Clinton to testify under subpoena as part of its probe into Jeffrey Epstein, a move members said could reshape how Congress deals with powerful figures in future investigations.
The day before, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also spent hours answering questions behind closed doors.
“I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices,” she said after nearly six hours of testimony.
Committee Chairman James Comer said it took months to secure the Clintons’ appearances, calling the moment historic.
“It’s very difficult to get people in for these depositions of great power and great wealth,” he said. “It took seven months, seven months to get the Clintons in here. But we’ve got them in here.”
The unusual setting — the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center — underscored the extraordinary nature of the proceeding, with lawmakers questioning witnesses far from the marble halls of Washington.
Tensions spilled outside the room.
Rep. Lauren Boebert acknowledged snapping a photo of Hillary Clinton during the session and sharing it with conservative media.
“I admire (Hillary Clinton’s) blue suit. So I wanted to capture that for everyone,” she said, adding, “Why not?” when asked why she sent it.
Democrats blasted the move.
“We are sitting through an incredibly unserious, clown show of a deposition,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, accusing Republicans of chasing photo opportunities instead of answers.
Hillary Clinton later described the end of her questioning as “quite unusual,” saying she was asked about UFOs and “Pizzagate,” which she called “one of the most vile, bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the internet.”
The committee said one focus of the questioning was how Epstein used connections with powerful figures — a list that has included both the Clintons and Donald Trump in previously released documents. There are no accusations of wrongdoing against either Clinton.
President Donald Trump expressed mixed feelings about the spectacle.
“I don’t like seeing him deposed. But they certainly went after me a lot more than that,” he said, later adding, “I don’t know anything about the Epstein files. I’ve been totally exonerated.”
Comer backed that claim, while Democrats argued the new precedent should extend further.
“There’s a precedent now,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, calling for President Trump to testify under oath if his party gains control of the House.
Legal observers noted that only a handful of sitting presidents have ever testified before Congress, and none had previously been deposed after leaving office.
Lawmakers from both parties now say the quiet New York suburb where it happened may be remembered as the place where a new congressional power took shape.
