Former attorney general Pam Bondi could be charged with contempt of Congress after failing to appear for a scheduled deposition for her testimony in a long-running investigation into the federal government’s handling of investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi, who was fired by Trump last month, was issued a bipartisan subpoena for her testimony to the House Oversight Committee while she was serving as attorney general. She was scheduled to appear Tuesday.
But last week, the Department of Justice claimed the subpoena “no longer applies.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday that the former attorney general “is evading a lawful congressional subpoena” by refusing to testify about the Epstein files “and the White House cover-up.”
“This subpoena applies to her regardless of her title,” he said. “She must appear before the committee, and if she continues to ignore the law, Oversight Democrats will move forward with contempt proceedings immediately. We will fight until there is true accountability and justice.”
Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and fines up to $100,000. Former Trump aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were both convicted of contempt of Congress in 2021 and 2023, respectively, and served time in prison after failing to testify to a congressional committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
The Republican-controlled committee called Garcia a “hypocrite” and compared Bondi’s defiance to that of Bill and Hillary Clinton, who fought against the committee’s subpoenas for their testimony. The Clintons, however, each testified for several hours.
Oversight Republicans suggested that Bondi’s testimony will merely be rescheduled.
“Now he’s outraged over a rescheduling for a former AG?” Oversight Republicans wrote. “Garcia’s outrage is purely performative.”
In a letter seen by The Independent, Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis wrote to the committee’s Republican chair James Comer earlier this month to “kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn.”
“The Department remains committed to working cooperatively with the Committee and continues to believe that additional compulsory process is unnecessary in light of our demonstrated willingness to voluntarily assist your oversight efforts,” Davis added.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, both members of the committee, also sent a letter to Comer stressing that Bondi “remains obligated” to appear before the committee.
“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 about files withheld from the public by the DOJ,” they wrote.
“On the contrary, it makes her sworn testimony even more important, especially with respect to actions she took as Attorney General, matters already under investigation, and decisions made under her leadership,” the lawmakers added.
Bondi has faced intense bipartisan scrutiny over her handling of the release of the Epstein files and the Justice Department’s approach to investigations into the wealthy sex offender and his alleged co-conspirators.
A much-anticipated release of Epstein documents handed out to far-right influencers at the White House last year contained information that was largely already public. In July, the Justice Department and FBI declared there was “no basis” to release any more Epstein-related documents, sparking allegations of a government-wide cover up to protect powerful public figures accused of exploiting and abusing young women and girls.
Under legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump in November, the Justice Department was ordered to release all files connected to investigations into Epstein by December 19.
The Justice Department has since published millions of pages of documents but has been accused of withholding records related to Trump, who socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s. The president has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, and one’s appearance in the Epstein files does not suggest otherwise.
In a letter to Bondi with her subpoena, Comer wrote that the investigative panel was “reviewing the possible mismanagement” of the government’s investigation into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted on sex trafficking charges in 2021.
Comer said Bondi is “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.”
“The Committee may use the results of this investigation to inform legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations,” he added.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who served as Bondi’s chief deputy, told Fox News this month that the Epstein files “should not be a part of anything going forward.”
“Look, the Epstein files has been a saga that’s lasted for the entire … past year, and what happened when the president signed the transparency act is the Department of Justice has now released all the files with respect to the Epstein saga and the attorney general,” he said.
“And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward.”
The Independent has requested comment from the Justice Department.
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