The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is set to vote on holding former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after she did not comply with a subpoena for a deposition related to the Jeffrey Epstein inquiry. This decision comes closely on the heels of former President Bill Clinton's similar defiance just a day earlier, escalating tensions between the Clintons and Congress.

The committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), expressed frustration over the Clintons' non-cooperation. "After negotiating for five months in good faith with the Clintons' attorney, it's disappointing," Comer stated, emphasizing the potential insights Hillary Clinton could provide about Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate.

Both Clintons have challenged the validity of the summer subpoenas, claiming in a public letter that the actions were politically motivated to embarrass them and potentially lead to their imprisonment. They insist that all information pertaining to their interactions with Epstein, who had a known connection to Bill Clinton, has already been submitted to Congress.

The stakes are particularly high for Hillary Clinton, who was Donald Trump’s opponent in the 2016 presidential election. With the Justice Department showing a readiness to prosecute Trump's political adversaries, the outcome of next Wednesday's contempt vote could range from being merely symbolic to triggering criminal implications.

Adding to the committee’s agenda, Comer revealed plans to depose Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operations. Despite her legal team's previous indications of non-cooperation, the committee has renewed efforts to secure her testimony, expecting her to possibly invoke the Fifth Amendment.

This move requires committee members and staff to travel to Texas, where Maxwell is incarcerated, indicating the lengths to which the panel is willing to go to uncover more about the Epstein scandal. As the drama unfolds, the political ramifications continue to deepen, setting the stage for a significant showdown in Congress next week.