Pam Bondi Dodges Epstein Files Deposition After Trump Fires Her

Pam Bondi won't be showing up to answer questions about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The former attorney general is ducking a scheduled April 14 deposition before the House Oversight Committee, claiming the subpoena no longer applies because she's not attorney general anymore.

That's a convenient excuse, considering President Donald Trump removed her from the position just last week and replaced her with Todd Blanche as acting attorney general.

The Department of Justice informed lawmakers that Bondi won't appear because she was subpoenaed in her capacity as attorney general -- a technicality that conveniently shields her from having to explain the DOJ's disastrous rollout of court-ordered Epstein documents.

A Pattern of Obstruction

Bondi faced bipartisan criticism for how the Justice Department handled its legal obligation to release investigative materials related to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The rollout was a mess by any measure: lawmakers and advocates accused DOJ of withholding information, improperly redacting documents, and failing to consistently protect victims' names.

Despite the mounting evidence of mishandling, Bondi repeatedly defended the Justice Department's actions. Now she's avoiding the chance to defend those decisions under oath.

Contempt on the Table

House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia made clear that Bondi's employment status won't get her off the hook.

"Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not," Garcia said in a statement. "She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice."

A House Oversight Committee spokeswoman confirmed the committee will contact Bondi's personal counsel to discuss rescheduling the deposition. Translation: this isn't over.

Accountability Delayed

The timing of Bondi's removal raises obvious questions. Trump fired her just days before she was scheduled to testify about one of the most high-profile transparency failures in recent memory. Whether that timing was coincidental or strategic, the effect is the same: another delay in getting answers about how the Justice Department handled evidence related to one of the most notorious sex traffickers in American history.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act exists because survivors and the public demanded accountability. They demanded to know who knew what, when they knew it, and who helped cover it up. Bondi oversaw a release process that critics say obscured more than it revealed.

Now she's trying to avoid explaining why.

The House Oversight Committee has the power to hold her in contempt if she continues to refuse. Whether they'll use it remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: firing someone doesn't erase their responsibility to answer for their actions in office.

Survivors of Epstein's trafficking network have waited decades for transparency. They shouldn't have to wait because a former attorney general doesn't want to face questions about her failures.