WASHINGTON (TNND) — House Republicans advanced a resolution on Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein probe.

The House Oversight Committee checked off the contempt of Congress charges, which is the first step in setting up criminal prosecution by the Department of Justice. If the charges are successful, it could send the Clintons to prison over their refusal to testify.

“Subpoenas are not mere suggestions; they carry the force of law and require compliance," Comer said.

Leading up to the hearing, Republican-led House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer revealed on Tuesday that he "rejected" a "ridiculous offer" from Bill and Hillary Clinton's lawyers to have an unofficial interview about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

"The Clintons' latest demands make clear they believe their last name entitles them to special treatment," Comer wrote on X. "The House Oversight Committee’s bipartisan subpoenas require the Clintons to appear for depositions that are under oath and transcribed. Former President Clinton has a documented history of parsing language to evade questions, responded falsely under oath, and was impeached and suspended from the practice of law as a result."

Comer already warned earlier this month that he would move to hold the Clintons in contempt after they refused to show up for a deposition related to the Epstein investigation.

Ahead of the hearing, Bill and Hillary made clear they had no intentions of being questioned by Comer and submitted an eight-page legal letter stating "it is clear the subpoenas themselves - and any subsequent attempt to enforce them - are nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed."

The Clintons also accused Comer in a lengthy letter of being "on the cusp of bringing Congress to a halt to pursue a rarely used process literally designed to result in our imprisonment."

Comer responded to the Clintons' refusal to attend the hearing by sharing photos of Bill Clinton from the Epstein files and saying, "Epstein's survivors deserve justice and answers."

Images from Epstein's estate released in December by House Oversight Democrats included images of Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump, as well as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, political strategist Steve Bannon, and British investor Richard Branson.

The photos of Bill Clinton renewed scrutiny of the personal scandals that marred his career and led to his impeachment, but that didn't stop him from demanding that the Justice Department release the remaining documents, claiming he needed no protection.

Epstein died in prison in August 2019 as he was waiting for a trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He pleaded guilty to similar state-level charges in Florida in 2008.

His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and other charges in connection with helping traffic minors to Epstein.