House Panel Demands Bondi Testify on Epstein Document Handling

The House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about the Justice Department's management of Jeffrey Epstein investigation records. Five Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure, showing bipartisan frustration with how the documents have been reviewed and released.

WASHINGTON — Members of the House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena Wednesday demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi testify about how the Justice Department has managed documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case.

The bipartisan vote saw five Republican lawmakers side with Democrats to back the subpoena introduced by GOP Representative Nancy Mace, demonstrating ongoing conservative dissatisfaction with how officials have reviewed and disclosed records connected to the convicted financier. The action represents a stern criticism of Bondi from Republican colleagues who have demanded transparency regarding Epstein’s exploitation of minors and his associations with wealthy, influential individuals.

“The American people want answers on the Epstein files, and so do we,” Mace, representing South Carolina, wrote on X.

Justice Department officials declined to immediately respond to the subpoena request.

The Epstein document controversy continues troubling the Trump administration over a year since Bondi faced criticism for distributing folders of materials containing no significant new information to conservative media figures at the White House. Following an extended examination period, the Justice Department announced in July that investigators found no Epstein “client list” and determined additional files should not be made public.

This conclusion triggered widespread anger that led Congress to enact legislation requiring the Justice Department to disclose the records. Following the initial December release, opponents have criticized the administration for mishandling the process and keeping too many documents secret. Government representatives have stated attorneys worked efficiently to properly examine, redact and publish millions of pages mandated by law.

“For months, Attorney General Bondi has been instrumental in orchestrating the White House’s cover-up of the Epstein files, and has failed to comply with our bipartisan subpoena for the release of the complete, unredacted files,” stated Representative Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s ranking Democrat. “The American people deserve transparency, survivors deserve justice, and we are demanding answers.”

Bondi has stood by the department’s document management and has claimed Democrats are exploiting the controversy to overshadow Trump’s achievements, despite vocal criticism emerging from the president’s own party members.

During a contentious congressional session last month, Democratic lawmakers criticized Bondi over careless redactions in the Epstein materials that revealed personal victim information and contained explicit photographs. Bondi informed legislators that the Justice Department removed files after learning they contained victim details and said personnel attempted their “very best” within the timeframe established by the release legislation.

The demand for Bondi’s testimony follows the Justice Department’s announcement last week that it would investigate whether documents were inappropriately withheld after multiple news outlets reported that certain records containing unverified allegations against Trump by a woman were excluded from public releases.

This development came after media reports indicated that a large collection of records released by the Justice Department omitted several interview summaries the FBI conducted with an unnamed woman who contacted authorities following Epstein’s 2019 arrest, alleging sexual assault by both Trump and Epstein during her minor years in the 1980s.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently provided their own depositions to committee members regarding the former Democratic president’s relationship with Epstein from over twenty years ago.

Bill Clinton informed Congress members Friday that he “did nothing wrong” in his association with Epstein and observed no evidence of Epstein’s sexual misconduct. Hillary Clinton told lawmakers she had no awareness of Epstein’s criminal activities and could not recall “ever encountering Mr. Epstein.”