Democrats Accuse Bondi of Stonewalling Their Questions on Epstein Files

House Democrats say Pam Bondi refused to answer any questions Friday about President Trump’s involvement in the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files during a closed door deposition in front of the Oversight Committee.Ms. Bondi, whom Mr. Trump ousted as the attorney general last month, answered questions in a transcribed interview on Capitol Hill. Ms. Bondi, who announced this week that she is being treated for thyroid cancer, arrived at the meeting with a bandage on her neck.Democrats on the committee were critical of Ms. Bondi’s responses to their questions. Congressman Robert Garcia said that a Department of Justice lawyer was seated next to Ms. Bondi and instructed her not to speak about what Mr. Trump directed her to do in regards to the files.“The DOJ is in there right now, stopping questions about President Trump and about what happened during the release of these files and why so many survivors were doxed and their information, of course, released to the public,” Mr. Garcia told reporters during a break.Mr. Garcia said that Ms. Bondi was also asked about the transfer of Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, to a less secure facility at which to serve a 20-year federal sentence on charges including sex trafficking of a minor. Ms. Bondi claimed to have had no knowledge of the transfer until after it occurred and referred those questions to the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, and the Department of Prisons, Mr. Garcia said.Maxwell was accused of assisting Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.Congressman Maxwell Frost said Ms. Bondi answered most questions with one of three responses, saying she didn’t remember; referring them to Mr. Blanche; or saying she would not answer questions about Mr. Trump.Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury noted that the committee’s chairman, Congressman James Comer, was the only Republican who came to the deposition.“This is absolutely a coverup and a smokescreen to prevent Pam Bondi from having to testify under oath pursuant to a congressional subpoena,” Ms. Stansbury said. She added that Ms. Bondi confirmed during the interview that the Justice Department has 3 million more files that have not been released.Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse stood outside the office where the interview was taking place.An Epstein abuse survivor, Liz Stein, said that many Americans don’t fully understand what the scandal involved. “What has gotten lost is the crime of sex trafficking. More than a thousand girls and young women were identified, groomed, trafficked, and abused in a system Jeffrey Epstein built around power, coercion, exploitation, and access to wealth and influence,” Ms. Stein said.Ms. Stein said that it was unacceptable for Ms. Bondi to testify in a transcribed interview. “Ms. Bondi should testify under oath, on video, with a full transcript and recording released publicly because the American people deserve transparency,” Ms. Stein said.Ms. Bondi defended the handling of the Epstein case in her opening statement to the committee but said that Mr. Blanche — her deputy at the time — oversaw the process. “The bottom line is: Justice and transparency in this matter have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration,” Ms. Bondi said.

Democrats Accuse Bondi of Stonewalling Their Questions on Epstein Files

Democrats Accuse Bondi of Stonewalling Their Questions on Epstein Files

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