Key Democrat says Bondi can’t escape Epstein files testimony

Fired Attorney General Pam Bondi still will have to appear for a slated deposition before the House Oversight Committee, members who voted to subpoena her said Thursday, even as the panel’s majority said the matter is an open question.

“Attorney General Pam Bondi has been leading a White House cover-up of the Epstein files. She has weaponized the Department of Justice to protect Donald Trump and put survivors in harm’s way by exposing their identities,” Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the panel, said in a statement. “She will not escape accountability and remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath. She must answer for her mishandling of the Epstein files and the special treatment she has given Ghislaine Maxwell.”

“Oversight Democrats have been leading serious investigations into Bondi and Secretary Kristi Noem. If they think we are moving on because they were fired, they are gravely mistaken,” Garcia concluded.

The Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi in March, a measure pushed by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that earned the backing of four GOP colleagues and every Democrat on the panel.

A spokesperson for House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), however, argued that the committee could reverse course.

“Since Pam Bondi is no longer Attorney General, Chairman Comer will speak with Republican members and the Department of Justice about the status of the deposition subpoena and confer on next steps,” the spokesperson said.

Bondi appeared for a contentious closed-door meeting with the panel last month, sparking concerns from Democrats that she may seek to flout the subpoena.

After that meeting, some GOP members said they were rethinking their support for the subpoena.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) the next day told CNN she was “absolutely” considering withdrawing her support after Democrats walked out of the meeting, saying it was “absolutely shameful to have her come in there willingly to answer anything that we want to ask, and to be treated that way. It just shows what’s to come.”

Mace on Thursday also said Bondi would still need to appear for the deposition, which is set for April 14.

“The DOJ still hasn’t complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is why we had no choice but to subpoena her, and because of our push, she will be appearing before the Oversight Committee in two weeks,” Mace said in a statement.

This story was updated at 2:43 p.m.

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