Former Attorney General Bondi Will Not Testify in Epstein Probe, DOJ Says

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not appear for a scheduled deposition before the House Oversight Committee in its investigation of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to Republican committee officials.

The Justice Department informed the committee that Bondi will not attend the April 14 deposition since “she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General,” a House Oversight Committee spokeswoman told reporters on Wednesday.

“The Committee will contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition,” the spokeswoman added. Notably, the committee has not withdrawn the subpoena, suggesting Bondi could still be required to testify at a future date.

The announcement comes just days after President Donald Trump removed Bondi from her position at the Justice Department. Her dismissal followed intense bipartisan scrutiny over her handling of documents related to the Epstein case.

Democrats on the committee swiftly challenged the Justice Department’s reasoning. Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) issued a pointed response: “Now that Pam Bondi has been fired, she’s trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify before the Oversight Committee about the Epstein files and the White House cover-up.”

Garcia emphasized that the “bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not,” and warned he would move to hold her in contempt of Congress if she fails to comply.

Should the committee recommend criminal charges against Bondi for defying the subpoena, the measure would require a full House vote and ultimately depend on the Justice Department’s decision to pursue charges.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has declined to weigh in on whether Bondi should comply with the subpoena. During a news conference Tuesday, Blanche stated, “What happens now that she’s the former attorney general and there’s the subpoena out there is, I think I’ll leave to Chairman Comer and others to figure out. I don’t have an answer to that.”

The standoff emerged after an unusual bipartisan vote in March when five Republicans joined Democrats to subpoena Bondi over Chairman James Comer’s objections. The Republican defectors included Representatives Nancy Mace (S.C.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Scott Perry (Pa.), and Michael Cloud (Texas).

In a fresh bipartisan push, Rep. Mace and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) sent a letter Wednesday to Chairman Comer requesting he “publicly reaffirm” Bondi’s “legal obligation” to testify.

“Bondi’s removal as Attorney General doesn’t erase her obligation to testify,” wrote the bipartisan duo. “If anything, it makes her sworn testimony even more critical. Congress’s oversight doesn’t stop when an official leaves office.”

Mace separately emphasized that “Pam Bondi was subpoenaed by name, not by title,” suggesting her departure from the Justice Department does not void her obligation to appear.

The committee’s investigation into Epstein’s crimes and potential government mishandling has already included testimony from former Trump administration officials. Former Attorney General Bill Barr and former Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Acosta, who served during Trump’s first term, have both testified before the committee as part of its probe.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Bondi’s status or the committee’s next steps.

The dispute over Bondi’s testimony represents the latest chapter in Congress’s ongoing efforts to investigate the handling of the Epstein case, which has drawn significant public attention due to the financier’s connections with powerful figures and questions about whether his prosecution was properly handled by federal authorities.