The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear for a deposition over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein investigation.
Committee Chairman James Comer issued the subpoena on Tuesday after the panel earlier approved a motion directing him to do so. Bondi has been ordered to appear for a deposition on April 14.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Committee) is reviewing the possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell,” the cover letter said.
The letter added that the committee is also reviewing the circumstances of Epstein’s death and the investigations that followed, the operation of sex-trafficking rings and how the federal government can effectively combat them, the ways Epstein and Maxwell allegedly sought to curry favor and wield influence to protect their activities, and potential ethics violations involving elected officials.
The letter also says the committee has questions about how the Justice Department handled the investigation into Epstein and his associates, along with its review and release of records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Comer said Bondi, as attorney general, is directly responsible for overseeing the department’s collection, review and release decisions and therefore has information relevant to the inquiry.
In a separate statement, the committee said Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will give members a private briefing on Wednesday.
CNN reported that a DOJ spokesperson called the subpoena “completely unnecessary,” saying lawmakers had already been invited to review the unredacted files at the department and that Bondi “has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress.”
“No more lies. No more cover-ups,” Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the panel, said in a social media post. “Pam Bondi must now come before our committee and testify under oath. We have questions.”
