Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state, have agreed to testify under oath in a congressional investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, days before the House of Representatives was expected to vote on holding them in criminal contempt of Congress.

The development was confirmed by Mr Clinton’s former deputy chief of staff in a social media post which said: “The former President and former Secretary of State will be there”.

The agreement marks a shift after months of resistance to subpoenas issued by the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has been examining Epstein’s ties to prominent figures and the federal government’s handling of matters connected to him.

The committee approved contempt resolutions late last month after the Clintons did not appear for scheduled depositions. Several Democrats joined Republicans in backing the measures, signalling broader support for compelling their testimony.

In a statement, the committee’s chairman, Representative James Comer, a Republican, said the panel had sent a message that “no one is above the law”.

Lawyers for the Clintons had previously argued the subpoenas were “unenforceable”, and said their clients had already provided the “limited information” they had about Epstein. They have also characterised the contempt push as politically motivated.

The committee’s move towards contempt would have put the matter before the full House, where a vote had been expected in the coming days. It was not immediately clear whether House leaders would proceed with that vote now that the Clintons have agreed to testify, or whether the committee will withdraw or pause the contempt effort pending the depositions.

The investigation has taken place amid renewed political attention on Epstein after the US Department of Justice released large tranches of material related to its investigations, following legislation requiring the agency to make records public.

Bill Clinton’s name and image appear in some of the released files, including photographs showing him with Epstein and at Epstein’s estate. One image shows Mr Clinton swimming in a pool, and another shows him lying on his back with his hands behind his head in what appears to be a hot tub.

Mr Clinton has denied wrongdoing and has not been accused of misconduct by survivors of Epstein’s abuse. He has also denied knowing about Epstein’s sex offending.

After the photographs were released, Mr Clinton’s spokesman, Angel Ureña, said the images were decades old and that Mr Clinton stopped associating with Epstein before his crimes became publicly known.

Epstein, a financier with a network of wealthy and influential contacts, pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution-related charges and died in jail in 2019 while awaiting federal trial on sex trafficking charges.

The Oversight Committee’s inquiry is expected to continue focusing on how Epstein operated, whether there were institutional failures that allowed abuse to continue, and whether any legislative changes are warranted.

Details of the Clintons’ testimony, including the timing and whether it will be conducted behind closed doors or in public session, had not been confirmed.