Sunny Hostin Claims Congressional Subpoena of Clintons Is ‘Illegal’

So far, in 2026, ABC’s Sunny Hostin has shown America why she was no longer a federal prosecutor: claiming everything she didn’t like was “illegal” despite proper procedure being followed. After repeatedly claiming the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was “100 percent illegal” (despite the warrant), on Friday’s episode, she insisted that the bipartisan congressional subpoena of the Clintons by the House Oversight Committee in their Epstein investigation was “illegal,” and defended the Democratic couple’s refusal to appear.

Leading into their first “Hot Topic” discussion of the show, Friday moderator Joy Behar tried to make the Clintons’ contempt of Congress about President Trump, which got approval from Hostin:

BEHAR: To be clear, Bill Clinton hasn't been accused of wrongdoing, and he denies having any knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Both the Clintons keep saying they have no information that's relevant to the investigation. But should they just testify to clear up any suspicions and get the last word in on this? You know, Bill should just say to Trump, ‘I'm more than happy to testify. You first.’

HOSTIN: Correct.

Hostin picked it up from there, initially whining that the committee still wanted the Clintons to appear while others submitted affidavits. “There have been about nine people subpoenaed, and out of those nine people, eight people provided sworn affidavits and those subpoenas were released,” she huffed.

 

 

Omitting the fact that the subpoena by the committee was unanimous, Hostin tried to frame situation as just the committee’s Republicans targeting them: “Now, of course, the Clintons are the Clintons and I think that they are -- because of their positions as former secretary of state and senator and president of the United States, the Republican Oversight Committee really wants them there.”

Further in the segment, Hostin defended the Clintons’ contempt of Congress by claiming that the subpoena was somehow “illegal,” and dabbled in expert whataboutism:

BEHAR: So why are they saying “no” do you think?

HOSTIN: Their position is that the subpoena itself is illegal and is not valid because it doesn't have legislative purpose, a true legislative purpose. And that’s why generally, I would agree with you and I would agree with you, you do not defy a congressional subpoena. There are -- that's why Peter Navarro spent four months in prison. (…) Why aren't they subpoenaing the President of the United States Donald Trump? Although, he has denied any wrongdoing? Why not Melania Trump?

 

 

Hostin’s support for the Clintons to defy the congressional subpoena was a master example of her politically motived hypocrisy.

The week prior, she had gotten into an intense argument with co-host Ana Navarro over the arrest of Maduro, with Hostin defending the dictator. She repeatedly yelled at her co-hosts about how the arrest supposedly broke “international law” (which didn’t exist) and decried how they didn’t care.

Speaking of Navarro, she openly lamented how she had to put aside their decades of friendship and insist that the Clintons testify before Congress:

You know, I have known Bill and Hillary Clinton for over 20 years. They were very good friends of my ex, and they would come down to Miami and stay at his hotel all the time. So, it's very hard for me and, you know, it's not a comfortable place for me to say that I want them to show up and I want them to testify. But here's the thing, I want us as a society to hold the people that we like to the same standard that we hold the people that we don't like.

 

 

Navarro would later complain about the pictures of Clinton released from the Epstein files that showed him enjoying Jeffrey Epstein’s property:

But let’s remember when the pictures came out in December, late December, Clinton, Bill Clinton asked that every item that involves him, that everything about him be released, because it feels like they cherry-picked what are the most salacious pictures. Right? There's pictures of Bill in a pool.

It was because of that obviously cozy relationship between the Clinton and Epstein that had co-host Sara Haines demanding the Clintons testify (Click “expand”):

I'm someone who wants to see everything in the Epstein files and want every single person held accountable. I think the Clintons should show up. It was a unanimous vote to subpoena them and regardless of these affidavits or anything else, I think when people don't show up, it makes them look guiltier than they are. Clinton -- President Clinton has showed up in tons of pictures with no wrongdoing but images that have been released in the files that - and we've known of the friendship for years. And two years after Epstein got his sweetheart deal, Ghislaine Maxwell was invited to Chelsea's wedding.

So, there are some associations there that I think you put everything out there. Let it be public. Let people hear. Because otherwise, you give them the bait to say, well, you're not doing it, we're not doing it. This person is not doing it. No, if you want the Epstein files and you want every held accountable, they show up and they do it.

 

 

“And I just personally don't believe that congressional oversight is something that should be optional to people,” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin argued. “I've testified before Congress, never under subpoena. I was asked to and I showed up. And I never have seen a Congressional subpoena as optional.” She was the first to admit that Trump allies had been sent to prison for defying congressional subpoenas.

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:

ABC’s The View
January 16, 2026
11:02:42 a.m. Eastern

(…)

JOY BEHAR: To be clear, Bill Clinton hasn't been accused of wrongdoing, and he denies having any knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Both the Clintons keep saying they have no information that's relevant to the investigation. But should they just testify to clear up any suspicions and get the last word in on this? You know, Bill should just say to Trump, ‘I'm more than happy to testify. You first.’

SUNNY HOSTIN: Correct.

[Cheers and applause]

BEHAR: Okay. Go ahead.

HOSTIN: You know, I agree with that. I think that, you know, the Clintons have done as much as everyone else that has been subpoenaed. There have been about nine people subpoenaed, and out of those nine people, eight people provided sworn affidavits and those subpoenas were released.

Now, of course, the Clintons are the Clintons and I think that they are -- because of their positions as former secretary of state and senator and president of the United States, the Republican Oversight Committee really wants them there. They have also provided and what Comer is not saying, they've provided affidavits, sworn affidavits. So, this is the same or very close to the same as already having testified. They've also written him a four-page letter explaining their position.

And so my question is, where is the energy for -- that same energy for the attorney general of the United States, Pam Bondi, who has not released, I think, 99 percent of the Epstein files? Why don't they call her and subpoena her and have her testify about what’s happening.

[Cheers and applause]

SARA HAINES: I'm someone who wants to see everything in the Epstein files and want every single person held accountable. I think the Clintons should show up. It was a unanimous vote to subpoena them and regardless of these affidavits or anything else, I think when people don't show up, it makes them look guiltier than they are. Clinton -- President Clinton has showed up in tons of pictures with no wrongdoing but images that have been released in the files that - and we've known of the friendship for years. And two years after Epstein got his sweetheart deal, Ghislaine Maxwell was invited to Chelsea's wedding.

So, there are some associations there that I think you put everything out there. Let it be public. Let people hear. Because otherwise, you give them the bait to say, well, you're not doing it, we're not doing it. This person is not doing it. No, if you want the Epstein files and you want every held accountable, they show up and they do it.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: And I just personally don't believe that congressional oversight is something that should be optional to people. I've testified before Congress, never under subpoena. I was asked to and I showed up. And I never have seen a Congressional subpoena as optional. I would remind folks that Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon both defied congressional subpoenas and then did jail time for defying those congressional subpoenas during the January 6 investigation.

(…)

11:06:28 a.m. Eastern

ANA NAVARRO: You know, I have known Bill and Hillary Clinton for over 20 years. They were very good friends of my ex, and they would come down to Miami and stay at his hotel all the time. So, it's very hard for me and, you know, it's not a comfortable place for me to say that I want them to show up and I want them to testify. But here's the thing, I want us as a society to hold the people that we like to the same standard that we hold the people that we don't like.

(…)

11:07:55 a.m. Eastern

BEHAR: So why are they saying “no” do you think?

HOSTIN: Their position is that the subpoena itself is illegal and is not valid because it doesn't have legislative purpose, a true legislative purpose. And that’s why generally, I would agree with you and I would agree with you, you do not defy a congressional subpoena. There are -- that's why Peter Navarro spent four months in prison. But in this case, it feels very political rather than legal.

Why aren't they subpoenaing the President of the United States Donald Trump? Although, he has denied any wrongdoing? Why not Melania Trump? Why did they let eight people who were also subpoenaed provide the same kind of affidavits that the Clintons did, why did they then allow that to happen without them showing up?

HOSITN: If it were purely legal, I would be –

HAINES: But were the Clintons the biggest names of those affidavits? Cause I think Clinton being a former president, that it has more power to go in there and sit down and say --

HOSTIN: But it makes it more political.

HAINES: Sadly this whole administration is political.

NAVARRO: But let’s remember when the pictures came out in December, late December, Clinton, Bill Clinton asked that every item that involves him, that everything about him be released, because it feels like they cherry-picked what are the most salacious pictures. Right? There's pictures of Bill in a pool.

[Crosstalk]

BEHAR: Okay. So, then why are they now subpoenaing the Clintons? Is it to distract from something yet again?

HOSTIN: Because they have not released the files!

BEHAR: We'll be right back.