Pam Bondi will not appear at scheduled House hearing on Epstein files, DoJ says

Former US Attorney General Pam Bondi, the former US attorney general, will not appear next week for a scheduled deposition before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions about the justice department’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and its release of the Epstein files, the committee said.In a statement on Wednesday morning shared with the Guardian, a spokesperson for the House oversight committee said: “The Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on 14 April for a deposition since she is no longer attorney general and was subpoenaed in her capacity as attorney general.”The spokesperson added: “The committee will contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition.”In a letter obtained by the Guardian, Patrick Davis, the assistant attorney general, wrote to James Comer, a Kentucky congressman and chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, telling him that “the committee issued the subpoena to Ms Bondi in her official capacity as attorney general”.“Ms Bondi no longer holds that office,” the letter reads. “As a result, because Ms Bondi no longer can testify in her official capacity as attorney general, the department’s position is that the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear on 14 April.”The letter adds: “We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn.”The committee’s subpoena has not been withdrawn, according to a person familiar with the matter.Last month, the committee formally subpoenaed Bondi to appear before the panel.In the subpoena letter, Comer wrote that there were “questions regarding the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act”.“As attorney general, you are directly responsible for overseeing the department’s collection, review, and determinations regarding the release of files pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the committee therefore believes that you possess valuable insight into these efforts,” he wrote.The justice department failed to comply with the act’s 19 December deadline to release the relevant Epstein files in its possession, only releasing what it claimed were the full files on 31 January. Many Epstein victims have complained that their sensitive information was exposed in the files.The formal subpoena followed a 4 March vote in which five Republicans on the committee joined Democrats to approve a motion to issue a subpoena to Bondi. At the time, the justice department under Bondi described the subpoena as “completely unnecessary”.The subpoena had requested that Bondi appear for a deposition on 14 April.But last Thursday, Donald Trump ousted her from her post as attorney general.A day later, on Friday, a spokesperson for the oversight committee said: “Since Pam Bondi is no longer attorney general, Chairman Comer will speak with Republican members and the Department of Justice about the status of the deposition subpoena and confer on next steps.”On Tuesday, the Democratic representative Ro Khanna and Republican representative Nancy Mace, sent a letter to Comer urging him to “make clear” that Bondi “remains obligated to comply” with the committee’s subpoena and appear for her 14 April deposition.“The removal of Pam Bondi as attorney general does not diminish the committee’s legitimate oversight interests in seeking her sworn testimony or the need for accountability and information,” they wrote.In a statement on Wednesday in response to the news that the justice department has told the committee that Bondi will not appear, Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, said: “Now that Pam Bondi has been fired, she’s trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify before the Oversight committee about the Epstein files and the White House cover-up.”He added: Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the attorney general or not. She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice.”Some Epstein victims expressed anger at Bondi’s intent not to appear. “Survivors have waited nearly three decades for answers – how much longer must we wait?” said Maria and Annie Farmer in a joint statement. “Any further delays only deepen survivors’ pain and weakens our confidence in the government’s willingness to hold accountable those who enabled and perpetrated Epstein’s heinous crimes.”Khanna said: “The cover-up continues, but we will fight for accountability.”