The Republican-led House Oversight Committee said it would contact Mr. Bondi’s personal legal representative regarding a deposition date.
Trump fires Pam Bondi after Epstein criticism
Pam Bondi is absent. President Trump has fired the US attorney general following criticism of the Epstein file.
Pam Bondi will not testify next week about her handling of millions of files related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, a senior Justice Department official said in an April 8 letter to Congress.
Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis sent a letter to Representative James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, saying that Bondi is no longer bound by the subpoena because he is no longer attorney general. The subpoena was issued after a bipartisan vote by members of the committee in early March, about a month before President Donald Trump fired Bondi on April 2.
“We ask that you confirm that the subpoena has been withdrawn,” Davis said. “Given the Department’s continued commitment to cooperating with the Commission and its willingness to voluntarily support its oversight efforts, we continue to believe that additional enforcement proceedings are unnecessary.”
The letter cast uncertainty over Mr. Bondi’s deposition, scheduled for Tuesday, April 14th. It has also caused frustration among Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who want answers as to why, in their view, the Justice Department is not fully complying with the Epstein File Transparency Act.
“The Department of Justice, which has nothing to hide, cannot avoid subpoenas,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) said in a social media post. Mace was one of several Republicans who voted to force Bondi to testify about the failure to release the Epstein files.
Officials on the Republican-led House Oversight Committee said they plan to contact Mr. Bondi’s personal lawyer about scheduling a deposition.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee’s top Democrat and a spokesperson for Epstein survivors, said in a statement that the subpoena applies to Bondi “regardless of whether she is attorney general or not.” He said he would hold her in contempt of Congress if she did not comply with his orders. A conviction for contempt can result in a prison sentence.
“The survivors deserve justice,” he said.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
