Former Attorney General Pam Bondi Refuses April 14 Deposition in Epstein Probe

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on April 14 to answer questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, the committee announced Wednesday. The Department of Justice informed the panel that Bondi would not attend the deposition because she is no longer serving as attorney general and was subpoenaed in that official capacity.

“The Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General,” a spokeswoman for the Oversight Committee said. The committee plans to contact Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss rescheduling.

The subpoena, issued last month by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, required Bondi to appear for a closed-door deposition. The full committee had approved the subpoena on March 4, with bipartisan support including five Republicans. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, insisted the subpoena remains binding regardless of Bondi’s current status. “Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not. She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice,” Garcia said.

Two Epstein survivors, Maria and Annie Farmer, urged the committee to ensure Bondi’s deposition “happens immediately,” warning that delays “weaken our confidence in the government’s willingness to hold accountable those who enabled and perpetrated Epstein’s heinous crimes.”

Bondi oversaw the Justice Department’s review and release of files related to the federal investigation into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. The department released roughly 3 million pages of documents out of more than 6 million, withholding about half for reasons including protecting survivors’ personal information and ongoing investigations.

Bondi was ousted last week, with her deputy Todd Blanche named acting attorney general. Although Bondi initially said she would stay on for a month to assist with the transition, the department has referred to Blanche as acting attorney general since Tuesday.

In a letter obtained by NBC News, Patrick Davis, assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs, wrote that because Bondi “no longer can testify in her official capacity as Attorney General,” the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear and asked for confirmation that it be withdrawn. The Justice Department spokesperson reiterated that the subpoena was issued in Bondi’s official capacity and no longer applies due to the leadership change.

Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat on the committee and co-author of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, criticized the postponement, tweeting, “The cover-up continues, but we will fight for accountability.”

The committee seeks to question Bondi about a July memo stating no further charges would be filed in the Epstein case and the department’s failure to comply with a subpoena to turn over all files. This noncompliance helped prompt the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated the public release of the files. Lawmakers and Epstein victims have expressed concerns that the Justice Department continues to withhold files improperly and has failed to protect survivors’ identities while redacting information about possible accomplices.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican who moved to subpoena Bondi, emphasized that Bondi “cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds the office of Attorney General” and must appear for a sworn deposition. Family members of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre also expressed disappointment over the delay but said survivors remain steadfast in seeking testimony.

The Oversight Committee’s statement on Bondi’s nonappearance came shortly after Khanna and Mace sent a letter to Chairman Comer urging him to reaffirm Bondi’s obligation to testify. The committee has not yet announced a new deposition date.