Pam Bondi to finally appear before House panel over Epstein files release

The former attorney general Pam Bondi will appear before the US House oversight and reform committee on Friday morning to answer questions about the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and its release of the Epstein files under her leadership.The committee announced in late April that Bondi would be appearing before the panel as part of its investigation into Epstein, shortly after Democrats on the committee filed a civil contempt resolution against her.Bondi’s appearance comes as the justice department has faced criticism in recent months over its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, after the department failed to meet the act’s 19 December deadline to release the relevant files, instead releasing what it claimed were the full files on 31 January.Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have also raised concerns that sensitive personal information was improperly disclosed in the files, while several lawmakers have also criticized some of the redactions in the documents. The department has maintained that it acted in accordance with the law.Bondi was formally subpoenaed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the committee in March, while she was still serving as attorney general. In that subpoena letter, Representative James Comer, the Republican who chairs the committee, 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”.However, after Donald Trump removed Bondi from her role, the committee said it was informed by the justice department that Bondi would not be appearing for the scheduled deposition, arguing that “the committee issued the subpoena to Ms Bondi in her official capacity as attorney general” and Bondi “no longer holds that office” and therefore “the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear”.Bondi did not appear for her requested deposition date, and in late April, Democrats on the committee filed a civil contempt resolution against her. Shortly afterward, the committee announced that Bondi would appear before the panel on 29 May.In a statement to The Guardian this week, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that the assistant attorney general Harmeet Dhillon and other Department of Justice personnel would attend Bondi’s transcribed interview “to assist the Committee in understanding the Department’s role in implementing and complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act during her tenure”.“Because former Attorney General Bondi oversaw the Department at the time the Act was enacted and carried out, DOJ’s presence is solely to ensure accurate representation of Department processes, facilitate any necessary clarifications, and support a complete factual record for the Committee,” the spokesperson said. “As with any congressional engagement involving past Department actions, DOJ routinely provides staff with relevant institutional knowledge to support transparency, accuracy, and cooperation with oversight responsibilities.”In mid-March, Bondi appeared for a closed-door briefing with the panel, during which Democrats stormed out, accusing her of refusing to commit to complying with a subpoena for her sworn testimony in front of the committee.Earlier this week, Axios reported that Trump had recently appointed Bondi to an advisory committee focused on AI policy. It was also reported this week that Bondi was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after leaving the justice department. She told CNN that she was undergoing treatment, and was still recovering.