Pam Bondi hearing over Epstein Files: How shifted format sparks fresh cover-up claims

Former US attorney general Pam Bondi's testimony over Epstein files before lawmakers was due for Friday, May 29, but it began behind closed doors in a downgraded appearance that frustrated Democrats and survivors, who accuse the Trump administration of withholding details in the sex offender's case.

Inside a tense congressional hearing involving Pam Bondi and the ongoing Epstein files controversy, lawmakers accused the Justice Department of fueling a potential cover-up after the format of the session abruptly shifted from what had been described as a “briefing” into a closed-door, non-televised hearing format.

Bondi was giving evidence to the House Oversight Committee in a transcribed interview rather than a sworn, videotaped deposition, despite bipartisan demands for answers over her handling of the Justice Department files on the disgraced financier.

The wider controversy has dogged President Donald Trump for much of his second term, with Democrats, Epstein survivors and some Republicans accusing officials of covering up the full record of the case, despite the Justice Department's insistence that it has released everything it is legally obliged to make public.

"No more lies. No more cover-ups. It's time for Pam Bondi to answer our questions," top Oversight Democrat Robert Garcia posted on social media ahead of the hearing.

Bondi became a central figure in the Epstein saga after saying last year that the late financier's so-called client list was on her desk for review.

The Justice Department and FBI later said there was no such list and no plans to release further information.

Trump fired Bondi in April as frustration mounted over her handling of the controversy, although she was later named to a presidential science and technology council.

Lawmakers on the Oversight Committee voted in March to subpoena Bondi as part of their Epstein investigation, an unusual rebuke of a sitting Trump administration official by members of the president's own party.

But the committee's Republican chairman, James Comer, later shifted her appearance from a deposition to a transcribed interview, meaning it will not be videotaped or conducted under oath.

Garcia has argued that the change violates the spirit of the subpoena and denies the public a clear view of Bondi's testimony.

He also questioned the role of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who was expected to accompany Bondi despite still serving at the Justice Department, saying her participation raised "serious ethical concerns and conflicts of interest."

Comer defended the format, saying Bondi had cooperated more quickly than other witnesses.

"She's coming in. She didn't do like the Clintons and take seven months to come in. I mean, she could have fought it," he told reporters as Bondi's testimony was about to start.

Additionally, Epstein survivors wearing t-shirts partially blacked out to represent the many redacted pages of the Epstein files gathered outside the hearing room, calling for transparency and demanding that Bondi answer questions publicly and under oath.

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.