A US House panel was set to vote Wednesday on whether to launch contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton over their refusal to testify before its politically charged investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is weighing two resolutions accusing the former president and former secretary of state of defying subpoenas to appear in person before investigators.If approved, the measures advance to the full House of Representatives, also majority Republican, which would decide whether to formally cite the Democratic power couple for contempt and refer them to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.The vote underscores how the Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in US politics.Lawmakers are examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into Epstein, whose 2019 death in custody as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges was ruled a suicide.The Clintons say the probe is being weaponized to attack political opponents of President Donald Trump — himself a longtime Epstein associate who has not been called to testify — rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who moved in elite circles for years, cultivating close ties with business tycoons, politicians, academics and celebrities to whom he was suspected of trafficking girls and young women for sex.The president and his Justice Department officials are accused by Democrats of a cover-up, having released only a fraction of the case files it was required by law to make public more than a month ago.  Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein.But Republicans say the Democratic couple’s past links to the disgraced financier, including Bill Clinton’s use of his private jet in the early 2000s, justify in‑person questioning under oath.- ‘Ridiculous offer’ -The contempt push followed oversight committee Chairman James Comer’s rejection of a last‑minute offer for a narrower interview with Bill Clinton in New York.Comer said the proposal would have limited questioning to a single lawmaker, barring colleagues from participating and producing no official transcript — terms he said violate standard committee practice.”I have rejected the Clintons’ ridiculous offer,” Comer said, accusing them of seeking special treatment because of their name.Clinton representatives dispute that account, saying they never opposed testimony being on the record or under oath. In refusal letters, the couple argue that the subpoenas are invalid because they lack a clear legislative purpose.Instead, the Clintons submitted sworn written statements describing their knowledge of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking.Comer announced that Maxwell had been scheduled to give a deposition before the committee’s investigators on February 9, although he said he expected her to assert her constitutional right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination.Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work but said he never visited Epstein’s private island.Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his island. The committee vote exposes divisions among Democrats, some of whom privately acknowledge that no one should be beyond scrutiny in efforts to uncover the full scope of Epstein’s crimes. Others fear that advancing the contempt resolutions plays into a partisan strategy to shift attention away from Trump’s own past contacts with Epstein and from criticism that his administration has moved slowly to release all related records.”We have offered to help, we have helped, and to this very moment we are ready to help,” Bill Clinton’s deputy chief of staff Angel Urena posted on X.”But the Republicans REFUSE to say YES.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday of “politicising” the institution, ratcheting up pressure on the central bank.President Donald Trump has accused Powell of not moving faster to cut interest rates, and the Fed chief revealed this month that the Justice Department has launched an investigation into him — a move former Fed chairs labelled an effort to undermine the bank’s independence.Bessent on Wednesday criticised Powell for planning to attend a Supreme Court hearing on Trump’s attempt to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, calling his presence “a political statement”.”I am not sure why Chair Powell would go and support Governor Cook when the Fed has not undertaken an examination of whether she did in fact commit mortgage fraud,” Bessent said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, citing allegations Cook has denied.”The Fed should not be politicised. He is politicising the Fed.”Trump has anchored his attempt to remove Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the central bank’s board of governors, on mortgage fraud allegations.She challenged the removal attempt and the Supreme Court allowed her to remain in her post until it hears her case. She has not been charged with a crime.Trump renewed criticism of Powell in Davos on Wednesday, blaming Fed policymaking for holding back his achievements.”They stop you from being successful,” he said, adding that he planned to announce a new Fed chairman in the “not-too-distant future”, with Powell’s term at the helm ending in May.This month, Powell revealed that US prosecutors had opened an inquiry into him over an ongoing renovation of the Fed’s headquarters.Prosecutors sent the Fed subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment relating to testimony Powell gave last summer about the remodelling. Powell has dismissed the investigation as a politically motivated attempt to influence the central bank’s interest rate setting, and the heads of major central banks have thrown their support behind him.Trump has said he will judge Powell’s successor on whether they immediately cut rates.

US President Donald Trump ruled out using force to take Greenland for the first time as he addressed world leaders in Davos Wednesday, but demanded “immediate negotiations” to acquire the island from Denmark.Trump’s quest to take control of Greenland from a NATO ally has deeply shaken the global order and the markets, and it dominated his first address to the World Economic Forum in six years.In a speech lasting more than an hour in the Swiss ski resort, Trump slammed “ungrateful” Denmark for refusing to give up Greenland, and said the United States alone could guarantee the security of the “giant piece of ice”.But Trump appeared to take the threat of military action off the table, in a dramatic turnaround from his previous threats that the US could use force to take control of the mineral-rich Arctic island.”We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable — but I won’t do that,” Trump said.”I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.”Wall Street stocks opened higher Wednesday after Trump’s comments.- ‘Immediate negotiations’ -Trump however pushed his claims to what he called “our territory” — and mistakenly called it Iceland on several occasions — during lengthy remarks on the deepest crisis in transatlantic relations for decades.He said he was “seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States” and added that Washington would “remember” if Denmark said no.Trump says Greenland is under threat from Russia and China.The US president also lambasted Europe on a number of fronts from security to tariffs and the economy, saying it was “not heading in the right direction”. Trump flew into Davos by helicopter, stepping onto a red carpet laid in the snow — but he flew into a growing international storm over Greenland.He arrived some two hours behind schedule, after an electrical issue earlier forced Air Force One to turn back to Washington and switch planes.In a sign of dissent against Trump, the words “No Kings” were dug into the snow overlooking mountain-fringed Davos overnight, referring to a US protest slogan.Europe and Canada had earlier closed ranks against what they view as a threat to the US-led global order from Trump’s territorial ambitions over semi-autonomous Greenland.In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday he would not “yield” to pressure from Trump on Greenland.Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney won a standing ovation at Davos on Tuesday when he warned of a “rupture” to the US-led system. French President Emmanuel Macron meanwhile said Europe would not be bullied.But Trump, who was due to meet a number of leaders in Davos, renewed his attacks on the French president and Canadian premier.He mocked Macron for wearing sunglasses at Davos, which the French president said was because of an eye condition, and said that Carney “wasn’t so grateful” and that Canada “lives because of the United States”.- ‘Thoughtful diplomacy’ -Earlier, NATO chief Mark Rutte told Davos on Wednesday that “thoughtful diplomacy” was needed, as Trump’s claims over Greenland provoke an existential crisis for the group.Rutte also pushed back against Trump after the US leader said he doubted NATO would come to the aid of the United States if asked. “I tell him, yes they will,” Rutte said.Trump however repeated his doubts on NATO during his speech, saying Washington was treated “so unfairly”.The Greenland row has also soured relations with the European Union, which has threatened countermeasures after Trump vowed tariffs of up to 25 percent on eight European countries for backing Denmark.But Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a Trump ally, told AFP after the “very important” speech: “I think the situation will be calm.” He said he understood the US leader’s stance amid Russian pressure at EU borders.In a speech that veered from topic to topic, Trump also boasted of his achievements since his return to power a year and a day ago. He last spoke at Davos in his first term in 2020.Trump unleashed his trademark anti-migrant rhetoric, particularly against Somalis in the United States — while hailing the US economy as the “engine” of the world.The US president also expressed hope of ending the Ukraine war soon, saying he expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday.Also on Thursday, meanwhile, Trump is set to formally announce the first charter of his so-called “Board of Peace”, a body for resolving international conflicts with a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership.burs-dk/rlp

It looked like a rock concert: hundreds of the world’s rich and powerful stood in a massive line for a precious seat to hear US President Donald Trump deliver his speech in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.After a two-hour wait, the doors to the World Economic Forum’s congress hall closed to the disappointment of many who had to scramble for spots in four overflow rooms to watch him on television screens.The exclusive crowd included executives of top companies, academics and politicians — even the president of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, was stuck in line at one point before an aide guided him elsewhere.”It’s like a rock festival,” one attendee said. Another watched Trump’s helicopter landing in the mountain retreat on her phone.Some voiced concern about the escalating tensions between Trump and Europe over this bid to seize Greenland, an issue that has overshadowed the annual schmoozefest’s agenda.”I expect the worst. From what we know from Trump, he always needs to have all the attention and he needs to have a shocker message,” Julia Binder, of IMD Business School, told AFP.And shock he did.In one overflow room, attendees laughed and gasped throughout his speech.Guffaws when Trump talked about wind farms killing birds. Nervous laughs when he said he was asking for “a piece of ice”, meaning Greenland. Others gasped “oh no” when he said: “Canada lives because of the United States.” Another said: “Oh my goodness!” when Trump recalled that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte once referred to him as “daddy”.And more laughs when he mocked French President Emmanuel Macron for wearing sunglasses — due to a burst blood vessel — during his own speech on Tuesday.”I would say he’s gone from neocon to neo-imperial,” one attendee whispered in another room.An hour into Trump’s rambling speech, some people started to leave from overflow rooms.- ‘Piece of rock’ -Some said Davos was a place to listen to different voices.”Davos is a platform for and exchange of ideas, of views. So we are here to listen to all views, whether we like them or not,” said Daniel Marokane, chief executive of a South African power company.It was Trump’s first in-person visit to Davos since 2020. Last year, he addressed the Davos crowd via a livestream, warning that he would impose tariffs on their companies if they did not move production to the United States. Greenland has replaced tariffs as the topic of the week.”What I can’t understand is why are we fighting over a piece of rock covered with ice,” Ken Griffin, the billionaire head of the Citadel pension fund, said at a panel hours before Trump’s arrival.”The United States has access to military bases in Greenland,” he said. “We don’t need Greenland.”