Bondi Dodges Epstein Files Testimony After Getting Fired

The Dodge

Pam Bondi was supposed to sit down with the House Oversight Committee on April 14 to answer questions about the Justice Department's catastrophic handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Instead, she's pulling a no-show.

The Department of Justice informed the committee Wednesday that Bondi won't appear because she's no longer attorney general, according to committee spokeswoman Jessica Collins. The reasoning: Bondi was subpoenaed "in her capacity as attorney general," so now that Trump fired her last week, she's apparently off the hook.

That's a convenient interpretation of how congressional subpoenas work, especially for someone who spent weeks presiding over one of the most scrutinized document releases in recent memory.

What She's Running From

The Epstein files debacle has been dogging Bondi since the Justice Department dumped millions of pages of case documents on the late financier and sex trafficker. The release was riddled with errors and missed a congressional deadline, raising questions about whether the department was deliberately bungling transparency efforts.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee issued Bondi a subpoena in a bipartisan vote last month, a rare show of cross-party agreement that underscored how badly the Epstein files rollout went. Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused underage girls for years while rubbing elbows with powerful people, and the public has a right to know how federal investigators handled the case and why so many documents were mishandled or delayed.

Bondi's refusal to testify now looks like a calculated attempt to avoid answering for those failures under oath.

The Pushback

Some lawmakers aren't buying the DOJ's excuse, and they're making it clear Bondi won't escape scrutiny just because she got fired.

Rep. Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican who initiated the motion to compel Bondi's testimony, fired back on social media Wednesday: "Bondi cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds the office of Attorney General." Mace emphasized that the subpoena was issued to Bondi "by name, not by title," and said the committee expects her to appear as soon as a new date is set.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, went further, threatening to pursue contempt of Congress charges if Bondi continues stonewalling. "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," Garcia said in a statement.

The committee has already shown it's willing to enforce subpoenas on high-profile figures. Earlier this year, Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, compelled Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify, making them among the highest-ranking former officials ever subpoenaed by Congress.

The Timing

Bondi's firing came on April 2, less than two weeks before her scheduled deposition. Trump elevated Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to perform the duties of attorney general, at least on an acting basis, though the Justice Department's website still listed Bondi as AG as of Wednesday.

After Trump announced her ouster, Bondi posted on social media that she'd spend the next month "working tirelessly to transition the office." That transition apparently doesn't include answering questions from Congress about how her department handled one of the most sensitive investigations in recent history.

What Happens Next

The committee says it will contact Bondi's personal counsel to discuss rescheduling the deposition. Whether Bondi shows up voluntarily or forces lawmakers to pursue contempt proceedings remains to be seen.

What's clear is that bipartisan lawmakers aren't letting this go. The Epstein files matter because they involve a predator who exploited vulnerable girls while protected by wealth and connections. The Justice Department's mishandling of those files raises serious questions about whether powerful people are still being shielded from accountability.

Bondi can try to hide behind her firing, but the subpoena doesn't disappear just because Trump cut her loose. If she refuses to testify, she'll be making a choice to obstruct a legitimate congressional investigation into government failures that enabled a sex trafficker.

And that choice will tell us everything we need to know about her priorities.