March 17 (UPI) — The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday to give a deposition on the Justice Department’s investigation involving sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to Bondi regarding the panel’s investigation into Epstein’s death, his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, the federal government’s handling of sex-trafficking rings and potential ethics rules violations. The subpoena requests for her to testify April 14.
The committee is also investigating the Justice Department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the department to make its files on the case public and searchable by Dec. 19. The Justice Department made a sixth release of the documents as recently as March 5.
“As attorney general, you are directly responsible for overseeing the department’s collection, review and determinations regarding the release of files pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the committee therefore believes that you possess valuable insight into these efforts,” Comer wrote in the letter.
“The committee may use the results of this investigation to inform legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.”
A news release announcing the subpoena said that Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would, separately, participate in a private briefing with members of the oversight committee on Wednesday.
A representative for the Justice Department told Courthouse News that the subpoena was “completely unnecessary.”
“Lawmakers have been invited to view the unreacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the attorney general has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress,” the representative said.
“As always, we look forward to continuing to provide policymakers with the facts.”
Members on the oversight committee agreed earlier this month to subpoena Bondi with a vote of 24-19. A Democrats voted in favor of the subpoena, along with five Republicans — Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.; Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.; Scott Perry, R-Pa.; and Michael Cloud, R-Texas.
About the Author
