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Former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee next week, will not do so, following the Department of Justice (DOJ) stating that, since being fired by President Donald Trump last week, she can no longer appear as a representative of the administration.

Bondi was subpoenaed to appear before the committee while she was still in her position. Because the subpoena lists her as “attorney general”, the DOJ said her appearance at an April 14 testimony date is no longer required or valid.

Bondi was scheduled to speak before the committee and provide answers regarding the DOJ’s handling of files relating to cases involving disgraced financier and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The subpoena was issued after a bipartisan vote in which both Republicans and Democrats supported the move.

Republicans on the Oversight Committee said they were working on getting Bondi to testify sometime in the future, even though she was no longer attorney general.

“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 will contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition,” a spokesperson for Oversight Republicans said.

Trump Ousts Pam Bondi, Who Leaves Legacy of Epstein Cover-Up

Democrats on the committee panned the department’s announcement.

“Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not,” read a statement from Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), ranking member of the Oversight Committee. “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.”

“The cover-up continues, but we will fight for accountability,” read a social media post from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California).

Prior to her termination, Bondi was widely criticized for her handling of the Epstein files, which dragged out for several months after legislation passed by Congress required them to be released. In many cases, the files failed to redact the names of victims contained within them, while protecting the names of people connected to Epstein — including Trump.

Per the law, no person’s name was meant to be redacted to protect their personal reputation.

Appearing before the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year, Bondi put on an embarrassing display of loyalty to Trump, including shouting at lawmakers who criticized him, dismissing their questions and hurling insults at them. At one point, Bondi brought up Trump’s purported success with the economy, an issue that wasn’t within her purview as attorney general.

“The Dow [Jones Industrial Average] is at 50,000!” Bondi shouted at the hearing. (The Dow fell below 50,000 points the following day, and has not recovered since.)

But Bondi’s downfall appeared to come after Trump grew frustrated with her inability to pursue his political opponents fast enough, while also failing to secure indictments against some of them.

Had Bondi remained in the job, there was a high possibility that she would have faced additional levels of congressional scrutiny, as Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pennsylvania) filed articles of impeachment against her over “defiance of the Oversight Committee’s subpoena to release the full, unredacted Epstein files,” as well as her abuse of authority and refusal to abide by multiple court orders.

“Pam Bondi is breaking the law to protect pedophiles and prosecute Trump’s political opponents,” Lee said in a statement last month announcing the impeachment articles. “This is about accountability, transparency, and justice. We deserve a justice system that serves the people, not one that is weaponized for political gain.”

Holding Trump accountable for his illegal war on Iran

The devastating American and Israeli attacks have killed hundreds of Iranians, and the death toll continues to rise.

As independent media, what we do next matters a lot. It’s up to us to report the truth, demand accountability, and reckon with the consequences of U.S. militarism at this cataclysmic historical moment.

Trump may be an authoritarian, but he is not entirely invulnerable, nor are the elected officials who have given him pass after pass. We cannot let him believe for a second longer that he can get away with something this wildly illegal or recklessly dangerous without accountability.

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Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin. Focusing on both national and local topics since the early 2000s, he has produced thousands of articles analyzing the issues of the day and their impact on people. He can be found on most social media platforms under the handle @thatchriswalker.

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