Former US attorney general Pam Bondi testifies in congressional Epstein probe

Former US Attorney General Pam Bondi is appearing in front of a congressional panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi, who was removed from her post as America's top law enforcement officer by US President Donald Trump in April, will testify on the US Justice Department's handling of its release of the Epstein files.The testimony in Washington DC is taking place behind closed doors, but transcripts or video might be released at a later time. Bondi was formally summoned by the House Oversight Committee in March, just before Trump announced her ouster as his administration's top prosecutor. The committee's Republican chairman, James Comer, wrote in a subpoena letter that his committee is investigating the "possible mismanagement" of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Trump signed that bill - which mandated US Department of Justice to publicly release unclassified records - into law.Bondi's summons came weeks after Nancy Mace, a Republican lawmaker, accused the justice department of a "cover-up" in releasing the files and introduced a motion to subpoena Bondi - the former attorney general of Florida and who served on Trump's 2020 impeachment defence team.The Trump administration and Bondi have faced enormous bipartisan pressure to release all documents related to the probe of the sex-trafficking financier and faced criticism over its handling of the files, including its failure to redact the names of Epstein's victims. Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.