Bondi Testifies on Epstein Files Handling
On Friday, former Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before Congress in a closed-door session, where she defended the way the Justice Department managed the Jeffrey Epstein files. She highlighted the Trump administration’s push for transparency but acknowledged that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was in charge of the review process.
Before her testimony, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) explained to reporters that Bondi’s appearance was voluntary. He mentioned that she had previously organized a closed meeting with the committee, a move that had drawn criticism from Democrats, who viewed it as an attempt to avoid a formal subpoena.
“She attended a briefing a few months back. Unfortunately, the Democrats chose to leave that meeting early. Many Republicans had the opportunity to ask her questions for a couple of hours, and I’m grateful she returned voluntarily for this interview today,” Comer noted.
During her transcribed interview with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Bondi clarified that she wasn’t involved in the daily operations of reviewing the vast number of documents. Instead, she had delegated this responsibility to Blanche, who was her deputy, as part of efficient leadership practices in a large organization.
When lawmakers questioned her about issues like redactions and delays, Bondi admitted she didn’t remember every specific detail from some months ago since her deputy had taken on those responsibilities.
This delegation drew sharp criticism from Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and other Democratic members, who viewed it as an attempt to avoid accountability.
“What we’ll hear is that it was Todd Blanche leading the investigation. All the mistakes made, including those redactions that didn’t protect survivors, are now being pushed onto him,” Garcia elaborated.
Bondi also disclosed that the Department of Justice had reviewed nearly three million pages of documents, spanning four presidential administrations, which included thousands of videos and hundreds of thousands of images.
She accepted that there had been some isolated “redaction errors” but emphasized that the department complied with the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, asserting that professionals in the DOJ confirmed that the withheld materials were either nonresponsive, privileged, or duplicative.
Despite these claims, the closed-door nature of the interview continued to prompt criticism from House Democrats, who expressed concerns about the lack of transparency. Additionally, Epstein survivors gathered outside the hearing, expressing their discontent along with the Democrats.
“Bondi is continuing to shift all the blame onto Acting AG Todd Blanche,” Garcia reiterated to reporters.
After the interview, Bondi responded on social media, firmly denying the criticisms.
“NOT TRUE. I praised Acting AG Blanche’s management of this Herculean task. I said his ethics are beyond reproach and that he is an incredible Attorney General,” Bondi stated.
Furthermore, her testimony—claiming that Blanche oversaw the review and that some investigations are still ongoing—has intensified scrutiny on him. This contradicts Blanche’s previous statements that suggested the review was completed without producing any viable new leads for prosecution. Meanwhile, Congress continues to seek full compliance as tensions rise around the DOJ’s leadership.
