After a tumultuous year at the Justice Department, former Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to participate in a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee.
The ex-attorney general is expected to face questions about the Epstein files. After a tumultuous year at the Department of Justice largely defined by her controversial handling of the, former Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to participate in a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee on Friday.
The second Trump cabinet official to testify behind closed doors as part of the Oversight Committee's yearlong Epstein probe, Bondi is expected to face questions about reneging on her promise to publicly release the DOJ's files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which ultimately prompted Congress to pass theas attorney general in April after sources said he grew frustrated with her handling of the Epstein files and the unsuccessful prosecutions of his perceived political opponents. Attorney General Pam Bondi listens as President Donald Trump speaks at an event on addiction recovery in the Oval Office of the White House, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington.
"Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year," Trump wrote on social media announcing her departure. "We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future.
" Earlier this week, Axios reported that Trump had appointed Bondi to serve on an advisory panel on AI policy, tasked with coordinating cooperation between the government and tech leaders. In an unusual arrangement, a DOJ spokesperson said that Bondi will be accompanied during Friday's transcribed interview by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon and other DOJ personnel, in order to "assist the Committee in understanding the Department's role in implementing and complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act during her tenure.
" "Because former Attorney General Bondi oversaw the Department at the time the Act was enacted and carried out, DOJ's presence is solely to ensure accurate representation of Department processes, facilitate any necessary clarifications, and support a complete factual record for the Committee," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement earlier this week.by arguing that the subpoena the committee issued "no longer obligates her to appear" since she left the role of attorney general. Bondi ultimately agreed to testify voluntarily after the top Democrat on the committee introduced a resolution to hold her in contempt for failing to appear.
Shortly after beginning her tenure as attorney general last year, Bondi faced immediate pressure from Trump's MAGA followers and others to begin releasing the DOJ's files from its investigations of Epstein and his associates. Speaking to Fox News in February 2025, Bondi said Epstein's client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review" and said the release of the files was a "directive by President Trump.
" However, when the DOJ released the "first phase" of the Epstein files that month -- inviting, with great fanfare, conservative influencers to receive the files -- it was determined that nearly every document released was already public.
By July, the Department of Justice and FBI said in a joint memo that no further documents would be released, citing victim privacy and the assertion that the documents warranted no further investigations -- a decision that"To that end, while we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government's possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted," the memo said.
Bondi later defended her statement about Epstein's client list by clarifying she was referring to the Epstein files generally along with other files released by the Trump administration, including documents related to JFK and MLK Jr. The DOJ/FBI memo also said that their review of the files "revealed no incriminating 'client list'" and no evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals. Despite the memo stating that no further investigation was warranted, Trump in November ordered Bondi to investigate Epstein's and other prominent Democrats.
At the time, Bondi said the DOJ would "pursue this with urgency and integrity" and assigned the matter to the U.S. attorney in Manhattan.following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act prompted bipartisan criticism when the DOJ improperly redacted files -- both exposing victim identities while concealing other information --- and declined to release millions of additional files by claiming they were duplicative, privileged or contained sensitive victim information. Bondi's deputy and successor, now-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, acknowledged the release of sensitive victim information was "horrible" and "inexcusable.
""And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward," Blanche said in April.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pam Bondi cancer diagnosis surfaces alongside new White House roleThe former attorney general announced that she was diagnosed with cancer shortly after her departure from the DOJ in April.
Read more »
Pam Bondi to face closed-door questioning from House lawmakers over Epstein filesFormer Attorney General Pam Bondi is appearing before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse cases.
Read more »
Pam Bondi to face closed-door questioning from House lawmakers over Epstein filesWASHINGTON (AP) — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse cases, a long-awaited
Read more »
Pam Bondi to testify behind closed doors in House committee's Epstein probe todayFormer Attorney General Pam Bondi will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Friday about her handling of the Epstein files.
Read more »