Bondi set for Jeffrey Epstein questioning from House Oversight lawmakers

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigators Friday, a victory for the panel after the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued she should not have to answer questions about the Epstein files. 

It’s an unusual appearance in several respects. 

Bondi is not being formally deposed but rather is sitting for a transcribed interview, an arrangement that rankled Democrats who argue it violates the spirit of the subpoena.

Bondi will also be accompanied by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, prompting Democrats to question whether the DOJ is seeking to act as Bondi’s personal attorney.

“There would be a clear conflict of interest between Ms. Dhillon’s duties to DOJ and to Ms. Bondi individually. Such an engagement would also quite clearly violate DOJ policy,” House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) wrote in a letter to House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) earlier this month after the DOJ provided Dhillon’s official DOJ cellphone number in correspondence alerting to her involvement.

And in a Thursday letter from the DOJ to the committee obtained by The Hill, the department indicated questions would be narrowed down to only those regarding the Epstein files, a move restricting Democrats from asking off-topic questions. The DOJ also indicated it was hoping to limit questions of Bondi to just two hours — a relatively brief interaction compared with depositions of other high-profile figures. 

The DOJ declined to comment.

Bondi was subpoenaed for her testimony in March through a surprise motion from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that earned the........

© The Hill