Dem
47
GOP
53
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) got his wish on Friday: Bill Clinton testified before his committee. Clinton didn't tell Comer anything he didn't already know. The show fizzled. But in the long run, it could come back to haunt Donald Trump.
Make no mistake, there is now a precedent for Congress raking a former president over the coals under oath. It is not hard to imagine that if Democrats control either chamber of Congress on Jan. 3, 2029, some committee chairman in that chamber might want to have a nice chat with Donald Trump—under oath—possibly in public, possibly not, at the chairman's discretion. Trump might not like that so much, but the excuse "you can't force a former president to testify" will no longer be available.
Worse yet, there is now also the precedent of a former first lady testifying. Hillary Clinton did an excellent job of saying nothing during her testimony. We doubt very much that Melania Trump could withstand intense grilling from any House committee. She would very likely reveal things that are detrimental to her husband without realizing it. She has none of Hillary's savvy.
In addition, the Clintons were hauled before the Committee because Bill was mentioned in the Epstein files. If that is sufficient reason, a whole lot of other people, including many of Trump's cronies, also qualify. A future Democratic committee chairman may decide to exploit that to the hilt. (V)