After much wrangling, the Clintons will stave off a Contempt of Congress referral by appearing for a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee, to answer questions regarding their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Two of the three broadcast network nightly newscasts did not deem this to be sufficiently newsworthy to air.
The sole network to cover the Clinton reversal was CBS. Here’s what coverage looked like on the Evening News:
The CBS Evening News was the only broadcast nightly to report on the Clintons caving and agreeing to a deposition before the House Oversight Committee pic.twitter.com/snDRsmJzU7
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) February 4, 2026
TONY DOKOUPIL: Also today we learned that after months of back-and-forth, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify on camera later this month in a House investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They had little choice in the matter, facing contempt of Congress charges had they refused. Here is Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane.
SCOTT MacFARLANE: More than six years after he died by suicide, the vortex surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is still growing. Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to sit for closed-door depositions this month with the House Oversight Committee to talk about their relationship with Epstein.
JAMES COMER: We are hopeful that they will come in. We can ask questions I think every American and every curious reporter would have, and then we will move on.
MacFARLANE: The former president, seen in several photos in the Epstein case files, has acknowledged flying on Epstein's jet several times, but denies knowledge of his crimes.
The New York Post brought emphasis to what the Clintons were trying to avoid by making a late deal:
“The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt,” he added. “I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.”
The Clintons could serve up to one year, but not less than one month, in jail and be fined between $100 and $1,000 if prosecuted, convicted and sentenced.
Earlier Monday, Comer had rejected an offer from the couple proposing a “limitation on the scope of President Clinton’s testimony” and a sworn declaration from the ex-secretary of state, in lieu of depositions.
Comer argued the Clintons’ “desire for special treatment is both frustrating and an affront to the American people’s desire for transparency,” and said having the former president testify for only four hours, as his lawyer requested, would not be enough time.
Scott MacFarlane’s weird D.C. roundup interviewed the brother of the late Virginia Giuffre, and ended with the investigation of the Fulton County, GA elections office. That concluded the most substantial reporting on the nightlies.
ABC’s World News Tonight had no time for the Clinton collapse, because they played corporate synergy and ran a nearly 10-minute item on Disney’s New CEO. The NBC Nightly News allocated that A-block time to Jill Biden’s former husband, as he faces charges of murdering his current wife. Weird and salacious, but not to the point of bumping the Clinton Cave off of A-block.
Click "expand" to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Tuesday, February 3rd. 2026:
TONY DOKOUPIL: Also today we learned that after months of back-and-forth, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify on camera later this month in a House investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They had little choice in the matter, facing contempt of Congress charges had they refused. Here is Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane.
SCOTT MacFARLANE: More than six years after he died by suicide, the vortex surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is still growing. Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to sit for closed-door depositions this month with the House Oversight Committee to talk about their relationship with Epstein.
JAMES COMER: We are hopeful that they will come in. We can ask questions I think every American and every curious reporter would have, and then we will move on.
MacFARLANE: The former president, seen in several photos in the Epstein case files, has acknowledged flying on Epstein's jet several times, but denies knowledge of his crimes. Bill Gates is accused of affairs in the files. He denies wrongdoing, but his ex-wife today said the release dredges up painful memories.
MELINDA GATES: For me, it's just sadness. Sadness for, you know, I've left -- I left my marriage. I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage.
MacFARLANE: Meanwhile, it's the Trump administration facing new questions.
SKY ROBERTS: There is one very big piece of the Department of Justice that is missing here and it’s that keyword, Justice.
MacFARLANE: Survivors say the Department of Justice has failed to redact their personal information, identities, and photos. The brother and sister-in-law of the late Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre spoke to CBS Mornings.
ROBERTS: They didn’t actively want their names, and they’re actively being released by the DoJ and that creates a huge safety risk for survivors out there.
DOKOUPIL: And Scott, President Trump making other news from the Oval Office just a short while ago, talking about elections which are constitutionally, of course, run by the states, though he says the federal government should quote: "get involved." What does that mean?
MacFARLANE: The president has said Republicans should take over voting procedures in some states to, quote: "nationalize the voting." And tonight he said it should happen when you see crooked elections. The president continues to lie about who won the 2020 election. The Constitution, as you say, says elections are overseen by state officials, and the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says Trump is quote: "dismantling the guard rails that keep elections free and fair."
DOKOUPIL: All right, Scott, thank you very much.
