Pam Bondi is exiting her role as attorney general this month after her ouster by President Donald Trump, but House members from both political parties are demanding she still testify under oath about the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is probing the Justice Department’s investigation into the deceased sex offender and in March issued a subpoena for Bondi’s testimony with support from Democrats and some Republicans on the panel.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the committee, which is chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), was noncommittal about whether he would seek to enforce the subpoena.
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.
But lawmakers from both parties who voted to subpoena Bondi argued that her job status should not affect whether she testifies.
Rep. Robert Garcia (California), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement that Bondi “remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), a Republican on the panel, also argued Bondi should not be excused from appearing.
“Pam Bondi will soon leave her job as the Attorney General. My subpoena still stands,” Mace wroteon X on Thursday. “When the Oversight Committee moved to subpoena Bondi, I did it by name, not by or not as the sitting Attorney General of the U.S.”
Bondi has faced intense scrutiny, including from Trump, for the Justice Department’s handling of the release of records related to Epstein in response to a law passed by Congress.
Lawmakers have questioned the Justice Department for missing deadlines to release material in its possession, for heavy redactions in the files and for failing to redact some information related to victims’ identities.
Bondi, a longtime Trump loyalist, has broadly defended the agency’s work and its efforts to comply with the law.
The oversight panel’s probe has largely consisted of taped, closed-door depositions by a range of individuals in Epstein’s orbit or involved in his prosecutions.
The varied testimonies have included interviews with former president Bill Clinton, Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and Alexander Acosta — Trump’s former labor secretary, who served as a federal prosecutor on a widely criticized plea agreement struck with Epstein.
Last month, Bondi attempted to privately brief lawmakers on the committee about the Epstein files alongside Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. However, House Democrats walked out of the meeting, telling reporters that the attorney general would not commit to complying with the committee’s subpoena for her sworn testimony scheduled for April 14.
Now, lawmakers are seeking to ensure her ouster doesn’t become an excuse for not complying.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Arizona) wrote on X that Bondi “is not above the law” and “must still comply with our subpoena and testify before the Oversight Committee about her criminally botched Epstein Files release.”
“Rep. Mace and I subpoenaed Bondi to testify before the Oversight Committee on April 14th. Even though she has been fired, she must still answer to Congress,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), an Oversight Committee member who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the Justice Department to release most of its files related to Epstein.
Bondi’s deputy, Blanche, is expected to temporarily lead the Justice Department following her exit.
In 2025, Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, was moved from a federal prison in Florida to a low-security prison camp in Texas.
The transfer came shortly after Maxwell sat for a two-day interview with Blanche, in which she repeatedly stated she had “never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way.” Democrats have questioned whether her transfer was premised upon her willingness to sit for that interview, but Blanche has defended the move.
Jeremy Roebuck and Anna Liss-Roy contributed to this report.
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