Attorney General Pam Bondi unexpectedly canceled her appearance at the CPAC’s anti-trafficking summit in Washington, D.C., which was scheduled for Wednesday. She cited health recovery as the reason for her absence.
Bondi was supposed to address issues relating to human trafficking, but as the summit unfolded, it became clear she wouldn’t be able to make her planned appearance.
Deputy Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti conveyed Bondi’s message to the attendees, reading from a memo she provided.
Bondi expressed her regret, stating, “I’m sorry I miss all of my CPAC friends today. Unfortunately, I’ve been recovering from a recently torn cornea. I really hope that I can join you and support all the work being done on this important issue.” This drew scattered applause from the audience.
Galeotti, trying to lighten the mood, joked about filling in for her, saying, “We appreciate the applause for her, and it’s not a boo for me.”
There was no further information from the Department of Justice regarding Bondi’s health.
Other officials from the Trump administration spoke at the summit, including Homeland Security’s Christie Noem and Border Patrol Chief Tom Homan.
Bondi’s cancellation comes amid increasing scrutiny surrounding her refusal to release documents connected to the late Jeffrey Epstein. According to a recent report, she had notified President Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in documents related to Epstein.
Earlier this year, Bondi mentioned that Epstein’s “client list” was with her and claimed the FBI stated there was no evidence to support the existence of such a list after Epstein’s death. She later clarified her comments, indicating they referred to case files rather than a specific client list.
Recently, federal judges ruled on Trump’s request to seal transcripts from the Epstein grand jury.
Trump has been trying to dodge deeper conversations about Epstein, suggesting it is no longer relevant. He expressed frustration towards supporters of Epstein who criticize him, stating, “He’s dead. He’s gone,” referring to the late predator and pointing out that certain Republicans seem to be following the “Democratic playbook” regarding the issue.
The administration sought to seal certain documents connected to Epstein from a prior trial, but their request was ultimately denied.
