Mr James Comer’s move was a rare power play by a Republican lawmaker at a time when the GOP-led House and Senate have ceded much of their power to the White House.PHOTO: ERIC LEE/NYTIMES

In forcing the Clintons to testify on Epstein, Comer sets a new precedent

· The Straits Times

WASHINGTON – In the long-running power struggle between the legislative and executive branches, a House Republican’s success this week at forcing a former president to agree to be deposed in a congressional investigation counted as a triumph for Congress.

The victory of Representative James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the Oversight Committee, in a months-long battle with Mr Bill Clinton and Mrs Hillary Clinton over testifying on Capitol Hill in his panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation
marked a singular moment.