Bondi Dodges Epstein Files Testimony After Trump Fires Her -- DOJ Claims She's Off the Hook

Pam Bondi was supposed to face the music on April 14. Instead, she's hiding behind a technicality.

The former attorney general will not testify before the House Oversight Committee about the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, department officials announced Wednesday. Their excuse? President Trump fired her last week, so she no longer holds the office she was subpoenaed to represent.

"We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn," Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis wrote to committee chairman James Comer in a letter obtained by The Washington Post.

Translation: Now that she's out of power, Bondi thinks she can walk away from explaining why the Justice Department failed to comply with a congressionally mandated release of millions of pages documenting Epstein's sex trafficking operation and the powerful men who enabled it.

Congress isn't having it.

Bipartisan Fury Over Cover-Up

The House Oversight Committee voted last month to subpoena Bondi after Republicans joined Democrats in condemning the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files. The department missed deadlines, failed to properly redact victims' personal information, and -- most damningly -- blacked out key details that would have exposed prominent figures in Epstein's circle.

Lawmakers from both parties have accused the Trump administration of protecting the rich and connected at the expense of survivors seeking justice.

Reps. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) and Ro Khanna (D-California), who led the push to compel Bondi's testimony, made clear Wednesday that her firing changes nothing.

"The removal of Pam Bondi as Attorney General does not diminish the Committee's legitimate oversight interests in seeking her sworn testimony," they wrote in a letter to Comer. "On the contrary, it makes her sworn testimony even more important."

Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee's top Democrat, went further: "She must come in to testify immediately. If she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice."

Trump Fired Her Over Epstein Fallout

Bondi's refusal to testify comes after The Post reported that her mishandling of the Epstein files played a role in Trump's decision to remove her from the Cabinet-level post. The president had reportedly fumed for months as the Epstein material continued to generate damaging headlines and divide his own party.

Congress passed a law last year requiring the Justice Department to make public its files on Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019 under suspicious circumstances. The law was meant to provide transparency about how Epstein operated his trafficking network for decades with apparent impunity -- and who helped him do it.

Instead, the Trump Justice Department turned the release into a masterclass in obstruction. Deadlines came and went. Critical information was redacted. Victims' names were exposed while powerful men's identities remained protected.

Bondi defended the agency's work in previous congressional testimony, but her explanations satisfied no one. The bipartisan vote to subpoena her in March caught even Chairman Comer off guard -- a rare moment of unity in a polarized Congress.

What Happens Next

The Oversight Committee signaled Wednesday that it will continue pursuing Bondi's testimony despite the Justice Department's attempt to shut it down.

"The Committee will contact Pam Bondi's personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition," a committee spokesperson said.

Bondi did not respond to requests for comment. A Justice Department spokesperson offered only that the agency "remains committed to working cooperatively with the Committee" -- a claim that rings hollow given the department's track record on the Epstein files.

The question now is whether Congress will follow through on contempt charges if Bondi continues to refuse. The survivors of Epstein's trafficking operation have waited years for accountability. They've watched as powerful men escaped scrutiny while the Justice Department slow-walked transparency at every turn.

Pam Bondi oversaw that obstruction. Getting fired doesn't erase her responsibility to explain it under oath.