Epstein inquiry draws in the Clintons as Washington lurches from shutdown to standoff

For days, Washington has been consumed by its own turbulence. As wars abroad slip into tentative negotiation phases, the American political system has turned inward, seized by a widening investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and a budget fight that briefly shuttered parts of the federal government. 

At the center of the storm, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have agreed to testify publicly before a House committee later this month, bowing to subpoenas after initially resisting cooperation and facing the prospect of contempt of Congress. 

Their appearances come as lawmakers and journalists alike comb through millions of newly released Epstein-related documents, reopening questions about how deeply the financier’s network reached into politics, business and global elites.

Clintons set to testify 

The hearings are scheduled for 27 February, when Hillary Clinton will testify, and 28 February for Bill Clinton, according to congressional aides. Republican lawmakers leading the inquiry say the testimony is necessary to establish a complete public record of Epstein’s relationships, even as they acknowledge that neither Clinton has been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

​​The renewed scrutiny follows the release of more than three million pages of the Epstein files by the Department of Justice, which, reportedly, only represents half of the material still held by federal authorities. Epstein, who cultivated relationships with politicians, royalty and financiers, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general and now U.S. attorney general, is also scheduled to testify before Congress next week, amid questions about prosecutorial decisions and oversight failures connected to Epstein’s earlier plea deal in Florida. The hearings promise weeks of political fallout.

Epstein files point to European ties

The fallout from the newly released Epstein files is reverberating across Europe, drawing prominent political figures into renewed scrutiny.

In Britain, Peter Mandelson, a former Labour cabinet minister and onetime ambassador to Washington, resigned from the House of Lords after his name appeared in the documents. Mr. Mandelson said through a spokesman that he had never engaged in illegal conduct but acknowledged that the disclosures had become “a distraction” amid intensifying public attention.

In Brussels, Maroš Šefčovič, a vice-president of the European Commission, issued a formal denial after media outlets including Politico Europe and Le Monde reported that his name had surfaced in connection with Epstein’s broader social network. Mr. Šefčovič said he had “no improper contact” with Epstein and rejected any suggestion of misconduct.

Elsewhere in Europe, officials in Belgium, Norway and Italy have moved to contain political fallout, as national media outlets and, in some cases, prosecutors review references to public figures whose links to Epstein range from social encounters to professional overlap.

Authorities in all three countries have emphasized that no criminal allegations have been substantiated, while acknowledging that the disclosures have reignited reputational and political scrutiny.

Congress averts shutdown…for now

All of this has unfolded as Congress staggered through a budget crisis at home.

Late Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed a short-term spending bill, ending a 72-hour partial government shutdown that had disrupted federal agencies over the weekend. 

The measure passed the House narrowly after intense pressure from Republican leaders, and personal lobbying from Mr. Trump, to corral reluctant lawmakers in a chamber where the party’s majority has been eroded by recent special elections.

The bill keeps most of the government funded through the end of the fiscal year. But funding for the Department of Homeland Security expires in mid-February, setting up another cliff-edge confrontation in less than two weeks.

At the heart of the dispute is Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency whose budget and powers have become a flashpoint following the January deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Democrats have demanded tighter oversight, limits on transfers and the mandatory use of body cameras —concessions the Trump administration has tentatively agreed to— while Republicans warn against weakening enforcement.

A political reckoning taking shape?

In Texas, Democrats have won a House special election and flipped a state-level Senate seat, narrowing the Republican margin and stunning party strategists. Trump carried the state comfortably in 2024, but in the most recent contest a Republican candidate lost by double digits. It is a swing that analysts describe as extraordinary.

Party leaders on both sides are watching closely, viewing the results as an early signal ahead of the November 5 midterm elections, when Democrats are seeking to retake the House.

For now, Washington remains locked in a familiar rhythm: investigations expanding, deadlines approaching, and crises deferred rather than resolved. The shutdown may be over, but the political reckoning seems to be just beginning.