Bondi defends the Trump administration’s release of files on the Epstein case as she testifies before lawmakers

Want to know who testified in the House oversight investigation? In addition to former prosecutor Pam Bondi, find out what we know about depositions from former Epstein aide Sarah Killeen, prison guard Tova Noel, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi stood behind the Trump administration’s release of Jeffrey Epstein case files as she testified Friday before House lawmakers examining an operation that was delayed and included personal information of potential victims.

Read more: Key things to know before Pam Bondi interviews House committee about her handling of the Epstein files

Bondi, who arrived Friday morning on Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, was defiant in her previous public testimony when lawmakers confronted her about the Epstein investigation. In her opening remarks, she maintained the same tact.

“The bottom line is: fairness and transparency on this matter were achieved at the direction of President Trump and his administration,” she said, according to a written copy of her opening statement.

Bondi’s transcribed interview gave lawmakers an opportunity to seek information about the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files and other related matters, including the prison sentence of Epstein’s former friend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell.

“I think she could certainly remove many of the missing pieces if she wanted to,” said Rep. Yasmine Ansari, an Arizona Democrat who sits on the House Oversight Committee. “Now the question is whether or not she is ready to be transparent.”

Read more: Fact-check key moments in Bondi’s tenure as Trump’s attorney general

Epstein committed suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted in 2021 of luring teenage girls into sexual assault by Epstein, but has insisted she is innocent, arguing that she should never have been tried. The Department of Justice transferred Maxwell from a federal prison in Florida to a detention camp in Texas last August.

Lawmakers are trying to figure out what decisions prosecutors made about investigating Epstein’s associates, how the Justice Department handled a congressional mandate to release Epstein case files and whether President Donald Trump was involved in the process.

Bondi told lawmakers in her opening statement that then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who now serves as acting attorney general, oversaw the process of releasing the files on the Epstein case as mandated by the law passed by Congress and signed by Trump last year.

Read more: A look at how the Epstein files hindered Pam Bondi’s time as prosecutor

She described it as a “very complex and labor-intensive process” and admitted that the department made errors in redaction. But she mostly defended the Justice Department’s work, saying it had complied with the law and demonstrated an “unprecedented commitment to transparency.”

Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse also gathered outside the Capitol office where the interview took place. They tried to inform Bondi of their presence as she entered the room, but several of them said police officers pushed them aside.

Survivors also implored lawmakers to hold Bundy accountable for his handling of the release of Epstein’s case files, which included the personal information of potential victims.

They confronted the committee’s chairman, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, and he told them he would push for the full release of the case files required by law.

“We want justice for the survivors, that’s what we want,” Comer added.

Bondi, who revealed this week that she was being treated for thyroid cancer, remained in the Republican president’s orbit even after she was fired from her job in early April.

Trump appointed Bondi to a White House committee on artificial intelligence this week, and on Friday she will be accompanied by officials from the Justice Department, including Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department’s civil rights division, as its advisor.

Democrats say this arrangement represents a conflict of interest.

Bundy was central to the Epstein saga

Bundy was central to the political storm over Epstein, initially raising expectations for a full release of the so-called Epstein files, but later backtracking. This decline prompted Congress to intervene and issue a law requiring their release.

Bundy faced greater backlash when the Justice Department’s release of the files was delayed and then included personal information and nude photos of several potential victims. She insisted in congressional hearings that she was trying to follow the law.

Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into Epstein that spans multiple presidential administrations.

The interview format is indeed controversial

The committee recalled Bondi in March in a bipartisan vote, but tried to avoid that request by holding a closed-door meeting with lawmakers that month. The maneuver increased the animosity between Bondi and the Democrats on the committee.

Bondi’s departure from the Justice Department also raised doubts about the implementation of the congressional subpoena. After Democrats on the committee maneuvered to press for civil contempt of Congress’s resolution against Bondi, she agreed to sit for a written interview rather than testify under oath.

Democrats on the Oversight Committee criticized the arrangement, saying it allowed Bondi to refuse to answer questions. They also objected to Comer’s decision not to videotape the interview.

“We remain deeply disappointed in the decision not to videotape this interview and then release it to the American public,” said Representative Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat.

Comer said he was allowing Bondi to sit for a written interview instead of a deposition as an incentive to cooperate. Previously, he had issued a subpoena against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after they resisted the request. Both of their statements were videotaped.

However, Comer said Bondi could face prosecution if she lies to Congress. He added that the committee will also publish the text of the interview.