Bondi Dodges Epstein Files Testimony After DOJ Claims She's Off the Hook

Pam Bondi is ducking a congressional subpoena on the Epstein files, and the Justice Department is helping her do it.

The former attorney general, fired by Donald Trump last week, was scheduled to sit for a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee on April 14 to answer questions about her handling of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. But according to a DOJ spokesperson, Bondi will not be showing up. The agency's reasoning? The subpoena was issued to her "in her capacity as the attorney general," and since she no longer holds that title, she's apparently free to ignore Congress.

It's a convenient excuse for someone who spent her brief tenure at the Justice Department stonewalling lawmakers and victims alike over one of the most high-profile sex trafficking cases in modern history.

The Oversight Committee plans to contact Bondi's personal counsel to reschedule, but the Justice Department's position sets a troubling precedent: fire someone under investigation, and suddenly they're beyond congressional reach.

Bipartisan Pushback

Lawmakers from both parties aren't buying it. In a letter sent Tuesday to Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, California Representative Ro Khanna and South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace made clear that Bondi's firing doesn't erase her legal obligation to testify.

"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 noted that Comer had previously said he would pursue sworn testimony from Bondi and was willing to hold her in contempt of Congress if she refused. They also pointed out that Bondi herself had said she would comply with the subpoena. Congressional oversight authority, they argued, "does not end when an official leaves office."

A Pattern of Evasion

Bondi's refusal to testify under oath is nothing new. Last month, she met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for a private briefing on the Epstein files, but Democrats walked out early after she refused to be sworn in. They accused her of showing "disrespect" to the committee and dodging accountability.

During her time as attorney general, Bondi faced bipartisan criticism for the Justice Department's incomplete and heavily redacted release of documents related to the Epstein investigation. Federal law requires the agency to publish all its files on the case, but what the DOJ produced under Bondi's leadership was a mess: key information blacked out, victims left in the dark, and no clear timeline for full disclosure.

At a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this year, Bondi clashed with lawmakers over the redactions and the department's treatment of Epstein's victims. She offered few satisfactory answers and deflected repeatedly when pressed on why the public was being kept in the dark about a case involving powerful elites and a sprawling sex trafficking network.

Acting AG Punts on Privilege

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who stepped up after Bondi's ouster, refused to say whether the Justice Department would invoke executive or agency privileges to block her testimony. At a news conference Tuesday, he told reporters he wasn't "committing to anything" and would "leave it to Chairman Comer and others to figure out."

That's a dodge in its own right. Blanche knows full well that the Justice Department's position on the subpoena directly affects whether Bondi complies. By refusing to take a clear stance, he's giving her cover to skip out.

Why This Matters

The Epstein case is not just about one dead financier and his crimes. It's about a network of enablers, institutional failures, and a justice system that has repeatedly protected the powerful at the expense of survivors. The files the Justice Department is sitting on could shed light on who knew what, who looked the other way, and who actively participated in covering up Epstein's trafficking operation.

Bondi's handling of those files was a disaster. Her refusal to testify under oath about her decisions is a continuation of that failure. And the Justice Department's claim that her firing somehow nullifies a congressional subpoena is a transparent attempt to shield her from accountability.

Bondi has said she's moving on to a role in the private sector, though she hasn't provided details. What she hasn't done is answer the questions Congress and the public are owed about why she buried the Epstein files and what she was trying to hide.

If the Oversight Committee lets her walk away without sworn testimony, it will send a clear message: you can stonewall, obstruct, and cover up as long as you get fired before anyone can hold you accountable.