WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi faced questioning Friday during a private session with a Republican-controlled House committee regarding the Justice Department’s management of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
House of Representatives Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer explained to reporters ahead of the session that lawmakers would inquire about unreleased materials. “We will be asking today about why documents still are not released….what documents remain and why they haven’t been turned over,” Comer stated. He emphasized that the committee should receive all available documents without exception.
During Bondi’s tenure, the Justice Department made public over 3 million pages of documentation, though the agency drew criticism for withholding certain materials. Department officials defended their position, stating they would not make public information that could expose victims or jeopardize active investigations. However, both Democrats and some Republicans alleged that Bondi was attempting to protect President Donald Trump from examination. Trump initially resisted releasing the information before Congress passed legislation with overwhelming support mandating their disclosure.
On April 2, Trump dismissed Bondi, citing her management of the Epstein documents as one of the reasons.
Trump and Epstein maintained a social relationship during the 1990s and early 2000s, though Trump has consistently stated he severed ties with Epstein before the latter’s 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Epstein faced arrest again in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking minors, with accusations of recruiting and exploiting underage girls in New York and Florida. He died in a New York detention facility later that year in what authorities determined was a suicide.
The released Epstein documents exposed the financier’s connections to influential figures including Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York. All parties have denied any awareness of Epstein’s alleged trafficking activities.
Democratic Representative Robert Garcia of Texas expressed criticism regarding Comer’s choice not to record Bondi’s testimony, arguing that video documentation would have enabled the public to observe her responses and behavior.
Garcia also noted that Democrats have concerns about the partial nature of the document release and questioned why materials containing private details about Epstein survivors were made public, potentially placing them at risk.
An Epstein abuse survivor attended the proceedings to voice disapproval of Bondi’s document handling. “It boggles my mind that the Department of Justice released nude photos…the Department of Justice released pornography. That is unacceptable,” survivor Charlene Richard told reporters outside the committee meeting room.
