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Former US Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony on the Epstein files before lawmakers was scheduled for Friday, May 29, but it began in a subdued appearance behind closed doors, frustrating Democrats and survivors who accused the Trump administration of concealing details of the sex offender’s case.<\/p>\n
During a tense congressional hearing involving Pam Bondi and the ongoing Epstein files controversy, lawmakers accused the Justice Department of abetting a possible cover-up after the format of the session, which was described as a “briefing,” suddenly shifted to a closed-door, non-televised hearing format.<\/p>\n
Despite calls for bipartisan answers regarding the Justice Department’s handling of files on the disgraced financier, Bondy was testifying to the House Oversight Committee in a written interview rather than a sworn, videotaped deposition.<\/p>\n
The widespread controversy has dogged President Donald Trump as he seeks his second term, with Democrats, Epstein survivors and some Republicans accusing officials of covering up the entire record of the case, despite the Justice Department’s insistence that it has released everything it is legally obligated to make public.<\/p>\n
Top Oversight Democrat Robert Garcia posted on social media ahead of the hearing, “No more lies. No more cover-ups. It’s time for Pam Bondi to answer our questions.”<\/p>\n
Bondi became a central figure in the Epstein saga after saying last year that the late financier’s so-called client list was on her desk for review.<\/p>\n
The Justice Department and the FBI later said there was no such list and had no plans to release further information.<\/p>\n
Trump fired Bondi in April due to frustration with his handling of the controversy, although he later named him to the President’s Science and Technology Council.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers on the Oversight Committee voted in March to subpoena Bondi as part of its Epstein investigation, an unusual rebuke of a sitting Trump administration official by members of the president’s own party.<\/p>\n
But the Republican chairman of the committee, James Comer, later moved his appearance from a deposition to a written interview, meaning it would not be videotaped or conducted under oath.<\/p>\n
Garcia has argued that the change violates the spirit of the subpoena and deprives the public of a clear view of Bondi’s testimony.<\/p>\n
He also questioned the role of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who was expected to accompany Bondy despite serving in the Justice Department, saying his involvement raised “serious ethical concerns and conflicts of interest.”<\/p>\n
Comer defended the format, saying that Bondi had cooperated more quickly than other witnesses.<\/p>\n
“She’s coming. She didn’t act like Clinton did and it took seven months to come. I mean, she could have fought it,” he told reporters as Bondi’s testimony was about to begin.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Epstein survivors gathered outside the hearing room wearing black T-shirts partly to represent several redacted pages of the Epstein files, demanding transparency and demanding that Bondi answer questions publicly and under oath.<\/p>\n
When Bondi was ready to brief the panel, she faced intense pressure from Democrats, who accused her of being uncooperative with the committee’s deposition notices.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n