The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed former Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify under oath on April 14 regarding her oversight of the Justice Department’s release of Jeffrey Epstein files.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., stated on Capitol steps that Bondi “must answer for her mishandling of the Epstein files and the special treatment she has given Ghislaine Maxwell.”
The Oversight Committee voted 24-19 to subpoena Bondi to address why millions of Epstein-related pages were withheld or heavily redacted even after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Five Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the subpoena.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seek “meaningful answers” about the slow, inconsistent rollout of the Epstein records and noted frustration with Bondi’s handling grew beyond party lines as more details emerged.
Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., wrote the subpoena, stating his panel is probing “possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation” into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and wants sworn testimony from Bondi about why the department failed to meet its legal obligations.
The Justice Department has called the subpoena “completely unnecessary” while agreeing to provide only an informal briefing.
In closed-door sessions before her firing, Bondi repeatedly declined to commit explicitly to complying with the Oversight Committee subpoena, leaving lawmakers frustrated by what was described as evasive language that did not clearly indicate her intent to testify under oath.
Bondi’s tenure as attorney general was marked by the Epstein files, including an incident in which she claimed she had an “Epstein client list” on her desk only to later acknowledge no such document existed—a flip-flop that enraged critics and some allies.
At a February House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Epstein records, Bondi defended the department’s work by saying she was “deeply sorry for what any victim has been through” while pushing back against Democrats’ questions.
Bondi’s exchanges were described as forceful by multiple observers, with her rejecting narratives that the Justice Department acted in bad faith.
President Donald Trump fired Bondi on Thursday after months of criticism over the files and other politically charged cases, calling her “a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend” in his Truth Social announcement. Frustration within the White House over her performance contributed to the decision.
Survivors have stated that systemic failures exposed by the government’s handling of the files extend beyond Bondi’s departure.
Even after her dismissal, lawmakers, including Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., insisted that Bondi’s firing “does not get her out of that bipartisan, lawful subpoena” and expect her to sit for sworn testimony as part of oversight of how the Justice Department handled the Epstein files.
