Washington — The Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee voted Wednesday to subpoena Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi for testimony as a part of its investigation into the federal authorities’s dealing with of the case towards convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The panel permitted a movement from Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, to difficulty the subpoena to Bondi, with 5 Republicans in all becoming a member of with Democratic members in assist of the bid.
The GOP lawmakers who supported the hassle to subpoena Bondi are: Mace, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, Texas Rep. Michael Cloud and Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry.
The Justice Division didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The Oversight Committee had issued a subpoena to the Justice Division for paperwork associated to Epstein final August. Laws handed with bipartisan assist from Congress final 12 months, which was signed by President Trump in November, additionally required the Justice Division to reveal all materials from its investigation into Epstein. Hundreds of thousands of information have been made public because of the regulation, referred to as the Epstein Information Transparency Act, with the final tranche of paperwork launched in late January.
Forward of the vote, Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky who chairs the Oversight Committee, mentioned Bondi has supplied to supply a briefing to members on the Justice Division on the Epstein-related information and “anything pertaining to that.”
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the highest Democrat on the panel, mentioned the general public has “important questions” in regards to the Justice Division’s course of for releasing the fabric from its investigation into Epstein.
“The legal professional normal has gone to talk, clearly, to different committees,” he mentioned. “I feel it is vital that she is in entrance of our committee. She will instantly reply questions in regards to the launch of the information, about transparency, about guaranteeing that victims and survivors are protected.”
Bondi appeared earlier than the Home Judiciary Committee final month for a listening to targeted on oversight of the Justice Division, throughout which she confronted sharp questions from Democrats in regards to the division’s dealing with of the Epstein information. Democratic lawmakers accused Bondi of orchestrating a “cover-up” that shielded folks whose names appeared within the tens of millions of pages of fabric, whereas failing to redact the names of survivors of Epstein’s abuse.
The Justice Division has additionally been criticized for the tempo of the discharge of the paperwork. The Epstein Information Transparency Act required the entire materials to be launched by Dec. 19, 2025, however the Justice Division made the paperwork public in batches. The division additionally confronted criticism over the primary tranche, which contained few mentions of Mr. Trump, although information disclosed within the second wave did point out the president. Mr. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing.
A CBS Information evaluation discovered that the Justice Division took down tens of hundreds of information, a few of which contained express pictures or survivors’ info. However the causes for the elimination of different information, similar to a name log with redacted names, are unclear.
The legal professional normal is just not the one member of Mr. Trump’s Cupboard who might seem earlier than the committee to reply questions on Epstein. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, underneath scrutiny for his ties to the disgraced financier, agreed to an interview with the panel, Comer introduced Tuesday. A date for his testimony has not but been set.
Lutnick was among the many slew of highly effective folks revealed to have been in communication with Epstein after the Justice Division made public its trove of information stemming from its probe. Whereas Lutnick had mentioned he reduce off contact with Epstein in 2005, paperwork confirmed they communicated within the years between Epstein’s responsible plea to state prostitution expenses in Florida in 2008 and his dying by suicide in 2019, after he was indicted on federal sex-trafficking expenses.
As a part of its investigation into the federal government’s dealing with of Epstein’s case, the Oversight Committee has sought testimony from a number of former officers and others who have been near him, in addition to paperwork from Epstein’s property.
Investigators held closed-door depositions with former President Invoice Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton final month, movies of which have been launched earlier this week.
The previous president mentioned of Epstein, “There’s nothing that I noticed after I was round him that made me understand he was trafficking girls.” Hillary Clinton, in the meantime, mentioned she knew “nothing about him.”
