Pam Bondi is backing out of a scheduled deposition before the House Oversight Committee, which has been seeking to grill the now-former attorney general about the Justice Department’s mishandling of the Epstein files.
The Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said in a statement that “the Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General.”
The committee further indicated that it would “contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition.”
President Donald Trump announced last week he had removed Bondi from her position. Bondi had borne the brunt of the fallout over the administration’s bungled attempts to keep large swaths of evidence related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein out of the public eye.
In a letter to the committee obtained by CNN, Assistant Attorney General Patrick D. Davis wrote that “Bondi no longer holds that office. As a result, because Ms. Bondi no longer can testify in her official capacity as Attorney General, the Department’s position is that the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear on April 14. We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn.”
Bondi’s appearance before Congress in February was an unmitigated disaster. She was unable to answer basic questions about the handling of the files, the department’s failure to comply with large swaths of the Epstein Transparency Act, and the mishandling of sensitive survivor details and personal information. At one point, Bondi berated lawmakers for focusing on Trump’s attempts to bury the Epstein scandal instead of the booming stock market.
Given Bondi’s most recent meltdown, it’s no surprise that both Republicans and Democrats are calling on her to testify regardless of her changed employment status. In a joint letter to Chairman Comer, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) wrote: “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. 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.”
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“As you know, Congress’s oversight authority does not end when an official leaves office,” the two lawmakers reminded Comer, “we ask you to publicly reaffirm that Pam Bondi must appear on April 14 for a sworn deposition as ordered or face appropriate enforcement if she refuses to comply.”
In a separate social media post, Mace wrote that Bondi could not be allowed to “escape accountability” and should face contempt charges should she refuse to honor the subpoena. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, also affirmed that if Bondi defied the committee, “we will begin contempt charges in the Congress.”
From Rolling Stone US
