Pam Bondi to appear before House panel amid scrutiny over Epstein files release

The former attorney general, Pam Bondi is scheduled to testify before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Friday morning to answer questions about the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and its focus on accountability regarding the Epstein files under her leadership.

Earlier, the committee announced in late April that Bondi would be appearing before the panel in line with its investigation into Epstein. This comes after Democrats on the committee filed a motion to compel her compliance.

The survivors of Epstein’s abuse have voiced doubts that their sensitive personal information would be exposed in the files while lawmakers criticized the DOJ over the sweeping redactions found in the documents.

In this regard, spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that assistant attorney general Harmeet Dhillon and other Department of Justice would attend an interview stating: “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, the 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,” the spokesperson said.

While Bondi was in form to brief the panel, she faced intense pressure from Democrats who accused her of being uncooperative with the committee’s deposition notice.

According to reports Trump had appointed Bondi to an advisory committee focusing on AI policy. Pam Bondi, who was removed from her role last month, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after leaving the Justice Department.