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A hearing room for the House Oversight Committee erupted into laughter Wednesday after the committee chair, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), blanked on a question asked by a Democratic committee member.

Wednesday’s hearing saw the committee fiercely debate whether to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena to testify about their connections to Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Challenging the measure was Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), who pressed Comer on whether the committee had already been informed that the Clintons were willing to testify on the record.

“It's my understanding that you guys have received correspondence by phone, email and a written letter from the attorneys from the Clintons offering to [testify] on the record, with you, with the staff... is that correct?” Stansbury asked.

“I didn't... I wasn't paying attention to your question,” Comer admitted, sparking an eruption of laughter in the room, including from Stansbury, who moved to ask her question again, albeit more slowly.

“Okay – we're pursuant to a motion you brought for contempt, and the claim is that you have made reasonable accommodations and that [the Clintons] have not been responsive,” Stansbury repeated.

“But they have transmitted correspondence to all of the members of the committee – including yourself – including a letter from their attorneys stating that they have offered by phone, by email to meet with you, on the record, to give sworn statements. Is that correct?”

Comer’s first reaction was to speak of how the Clintons had been given “five months” to appear before Congress before being pressed by Stansbury again: “yes or no,” she asked.

“You all are trying to create a false narrative!” Comer fired back. “You've had five months, you should have gotten to the Clintons before the contempt vote!”

Stansbury asked once more for Comer to answer her question, but was met with silence as Comer’s aides could be seen speaking with him quietly.

“Just to be clear for the public, his staff are advising the chairman to not answer that question,” Stansbury alleged.

Comer fired back at Stansbury once more.

“No, the staff said they couldn't understand what the hell you were saying because you blabbered for three minutes!” Comer said.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to hold both Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas to testify about their knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein.

“They possessed information directly relevant to the investigation,” said Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the chair of the committee. “The Clintons had documented relationships with Epstein and Maxwell, evidenced by numerous photographs, flight log records, wedding invitations, and other materials.”

The committee approved holding the Clintons in contempt on Wednesday afternoon, which, if passed in full and ultimately referred to the Justice Department, could result in criminal charges that could land both the Clintons in jail for up to one year and fines of up to $100,000 each. The House is expected to vote on the bill in "two weeks," Comer has said.

The measure was met with opposition by Democratic members of the committee, including Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who accused Comer and Oversight Republicans of having a double standard in terms of their focus on the Clintons, and apparent lack of focus on Attorney General Pam Bondi’s continued violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), which required the Justice Department to release all Epstein files by Dec. 19.

“It is shameful, illegal, and unconstitutional that the Department of Justice has released 1% of the files! Where is the pressure to get Pam Bondi to release the files?” Garcia said.

“Instead, your focus and the committee is focused on whoever you perceive to be your enemies and the enemies of Donald Trump. Because let’s be clear: we want to talk to President Bill Clinton, we want him to answer our questions! We also want to understand why Pam Bondi refuses to release all the files.”

Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) moved to add an amendment to the committee’s measure to hold the Clintons in contempt, an amendment that would hold Bondi in contempt over her continued violation of the EFTA. The proposal, however, was shot down by the committee’s Republican majority.