Bondi defends Justice Department handling of Epstein files in closed-door hearing

Pam Bondi faced House Oversight investigators behind closed doors on May 29, defending the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files after months of public frustration over missed deadlines, redactions and competing claims about what the government still holds.

Bondi, removed as attorney general by President Donald Trump on April 2, 2026, told lawmakers that, to the best of her knowledge, the department had publicly released all documents and evidence required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. She acknowledged redaction errors in the release and said she had delegated oversight of the review to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche rather than personally running every step of it. Bondi also said the department produced nearly 3 million pages of material, including thousands of videos and hundreds of thousands of images.

The hearing itself became part of the dispute over transparency. House Oversight Democrats argued the interview should not have been held out of public view and said the American public, along with Epstein survivors, deserved to watch Bondi answer questions openly. They accused Chairman James Comer of trying to shield her testimony, while House Oversight Republicans said her appearance mattered because she had a direct role in the review. Bondi had been subpoenaed in March after the committee voted 24-19 to compel her appearance, following her failure to show up for a previously scheduled April 14 deposition. Republicans later rescheduled the interview for May 29 after Democrats moved to hold her in contempt.

At issue is not only timing but trust in how the records were handled. Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025 and Trump signed it the same month, requiring the Justice Department to release its investigative files by December 19, 2025. The department missed that deadline by 42 days, then released more than 3 million pages in January 2026. Committee investigators said the release still represented only about half of the files in the department’s custody, deepening suspicion that key material remained withheld.

Lawmakers and survivors have also objected to the way the records were edited. They said the department exposed sensitive personal information about potential victims while redacting names of some non-survivors, a combination that fueled accusations of a cover-up. Bondi’s earlier statement in February 2025 that an Epstein client list was sitting on her desk only sharpened the scrutiny after the Justice Department later said no such list existed. Reporting cited by American Oversight said FBI staff were instructed to flag mentions of Trump in the Epstein files, and that his name appeared more than 1,000 times, making the record review politically combustible and leaving major questions about selective handling still unresolved.