Former Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Friday to discuss the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and her defense boiled down to a familiar Washington refrain: “I delegated that.”
In her prepared opening statement, Bondi claimed an “unprecedented commitment to transparency” in the search for and release of the Epstein files, while simultaneously admitting she didn’t personally oversee the process. Instead, she handed the reins to then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is now the acting attorney general. “To the best of my knowledge, the department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Bondi said.
But “to the best of my knowledge” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Bondi acknowledged “redaction errors” in the released files, though she insisted the department has been “committed to accountability and transparency since day one.” The files were supposed to be released by December 19 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act; the DOJ missed that deadline and finally released what it called the full files on January 31.
Democratic lawmakers were less impressed. Rep. Robert Garcia told reporters that Bondi refused to answer questions about whether Donald Trump directed her on the Epstein files, what he knew, or what he asked her to redact. Garcia said he asked Bondi “five times and five different questions about her conversations with President Trump” and she declined to answer each time.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse also voiced concerns, with Danielle Bensky noting that “Jane Does were mentioned over 500 times” and nude photos were improperly disclosed. “We hope that there is no deflection,” Bensky said - a hope that appears to have been dashed before the hearing even began.
Bondi was originally subpoenaed in March but didn’t show up after Trump removed her from office, arguing the subpoena no longer applied. Democrats filed a civil contempt resolution in late April, and Bondi finally appeared on May 29 - though the interview was not videotaped, and only a transcript will be released later.
In other Bondi news: Trump recently appointed her to an AI policy advisory committee, and she revealed she’s undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. So at least she has something to distract her from all those pesky questions about Jeffrey Epstein’s little black book.