The Clinton family has agreed to testify in the House Oversight’s Epstein investigation, but could face contempt charges.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said the agreement has not yet been finalized.

Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, continued to push for criminal contempt of Congress charges against both Clintons on Monday evening for defying a congressional subpoena when Clinton lawyers sent an email to Oversight Committee staff, saying the pair would accept Comer’s demands and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreed upon dates.”

The lawyers asked that Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, agree not to proceed with contempt proceedings. However, Comer said he would not immediately drop the charges, which could involve the threat of a hefty fine and even prison time if passed by the House and successfully prosecuted by the Justice Department.

“We don’t have anything written,” Coomer told reporters, adding that he was open to accepting Clinton’s offer but “it depends on what they say.”

The last-minute negotiations came as Republican leaders were advancing the contempt of court resolution through the House Rules Committee — the final hurdle before it heads to the House floor for a vote. This is potentially a dangerous moment for Congress, as it is the first time a former president could be held in contempt and threatened with imprisonment.

While Coomer and Clinton were negotiating the terms of the depositions, the House Rules Committee delayed filing for contempt of Congress.

Earlier Monday, Coomer rejected an offer from the Clinton family’s attorney that Bill Clinton give a written interview and that Hillary Clinton provide a sworn statement. He insisted that both Clintons sit and be sworn in before the committee in order to fulfill the committee’s subpoenas.

A letter from the committee to the Clinton family’s attorneys indicated that they had offered Bill Clinton a 4-hour written interview on “matters relating to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein” and for Hillary Clinton to provide a sworn statement.

“The Clinton family does not have the right to dictate the terms of legal subpoenas,” Coomer said.

The former president and secretary of state resisted subpoenas for months after the Oversight Committee issued subpoenas for their testimony in August when it opened an investigation into Epstein and his associates. Their lawyers tried to argue against the validity of the subpoena.

However, when Comer threatened to initiate contempt of congressional proceedings, the Clintons began negotiating a compromise. The Republican-controlled Oversight Committee filed criminal contempt of Congress charges last month. Nine of the 21 Democrats on the committee joined Republicans in supporting the charges against Bill Clinton as they called for full transparency in the Epstein investigation. Three Democrats also supported filing charges against Hillary Clinton.

Republicans are pushing to implicate Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton’s relationship with Epstein has resurfaced as a focal point for Republicans amid the push to hold accountable Epstein, who committed suicide in 2019 in a New York prison cell where he was facing sex trafficking charges.

Clinton, like a host of other powerful men, had a well-documented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was not accused of wrongdoing in his dealings with the late financier.

Read more: A list of powerful men named in the Epstein files, from Elon Musk to former Prince Andrew

The Clinton family has remained strongly critical of Coomer’s decision, saying he was bringing politics into the investigation while failing to hold the Trump administration accountable for delays in producing Epstein case files for the Justice Department.

Clinton family spokesman Angel Urena said in response to Comer’s threats on Monday: “They negotiated in good faith. You didn’t.” “They tell you under oath what they know, but you don’t care.”

However, the prospect of a vote raises the possibility that Congress will use one of its toughest sanctions against a former president for the first time. Historically, Congress has respected former presidents. None of them were forced to testify before lawmakers, although a few did so voluntarily.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier Monday that his caucus would hold a debate on contempt resolutions later in the week, but he remained noncommittal to striking votes against them.

Jeffries said he had a firm “no” on the contempt and accused Coomer of focusing on political retaliation rather than investigating the delayed release of case files. Democrats also say the Justice Department has not yet released all of the materials it has on the late financier.

“They don’t want a serious interview, they want a charade,” Jeffries said.