Pam Bondi Questioned by House Lawmakers Over Epstein Files

Attorney General Pam Bondi faces questions in the House Judiciary Committee over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026.

Pam Bondi Questioned by House Lawmakers Over Epstein Files

WASHINGTON — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is speaking before House members probing Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual assault cases, a long-awaited appearance that puts renewed focus on the administration’s bungled release of the Epstein case data.

Bondi has been outspoken in prior public appearances when questioned by Congress about the Epstein inquiry. It remains to be seen whether she will employ the same technique on Friday, now that she is no longer in charge of the Justice Department. The session will take place behind closed doors.

The recorded interview will provide lawmakers an opportunity to search for information on how the Trump administration handled the Epstein files and other related situations, such as the prison sentence of his former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell. Last August, the Justice Department sent Maxwell to a prison camp in Texas.

“I think she could absolutely clear up a lot of missing pieces if she wanted to,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. The question now is whether she is willing to be transparent.

Lawmakers want to know what decisions prosecutors made about pursuing Epstein allies, how the Justice Department dealt with the congressional requirement to divulge the papers of the Epstein case and whether President Donald Trump was engaged.

Bondi, who said this week that she is being treated for thyroid cancer, has continued in Trump’s orbit even after being dismissed from her post in early April.

Trump named Bondi this week to a White House panel on artificial intelligence. Justice Department officials, including Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department’s Civil Rights Division, will be acting as counsel to Bondi on Friday.

Democrats believe that's a conflict of interest.

The officials were there to help lawmakers understand how the agency goes about providing the case files, a spokesman for the Justice agency said.

Bondi in the middle of the Epstein saga Bondi has been at the heart of the political tempest surrounding Epstein, originally raising hopes for the complete release of what are known as the Epstein papers, but later pulling back. That flip-flop led Congress to step in and pass a statute demanding the release.

The Justice Department’s release of the materials was delayed and then contained personal information of other possible victims, and Bondi faced even greater anger. She has said in congressional hearings she was trying to follow the law.

The House Oversight Committee, meantime, has been pursuing a wide-ranging probe into Epstein spanning numerous presidential administrations.

The interview style is already controversial Bondi was subpoenaed by the committee in March on a bipartisan vote, but tried to head off the demand by meeting with legislators behind closed doors the same month. The move simply increased the hostility between Bondi and the Democrats on the committee.

Bondi’s resignation from the Justice Department also raised questions about the enforcement of the congressional subpoena. When the committee’s Democrats moved to seek a civil contempt of Congress resolution against Bondi, she volunteered to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a sworn deposition.

Democrats on the Oversight panel have blasted the arrangement, saying it permits Bondi to refuse to answer questions. They have also urged the Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer, to provide a video recording of the interview.

The panel’s senior Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia, told Comer that “a failure to record and release a video of Ms. Bondi’s testimony would be a serious injustice to the American people and survivors of Epstein’s crimes.”

Comer has indicated he’s allowing Bondi to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a deposition as an inducement to cooperate. Earlier, he subpoenaed former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when they balked at the demand. Both their depositions were video-recorded.

“Bondi could be prosecuted if she is untruthful to Congress,” Comer added. The committee will also disclose a transcript of the interview, he said.

“Hopefully that'll be good enough," he remarked.