WASHINGTON — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to reply questions Friday connected Donald Trump’s engagement successful the merchandise of lawsuit files connected Jeffrey Epstein arsenic she defended the administration’s actions earlier House lawmakers scrutinizing a process that was delayed and included idiosyncratic accusation of imaginable victims.
Bondi, who arrived Friday greeting connected Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, was defiant successful erstwhile nationalist grounds erstwhile she was confronted by lawmakers astir the Epstein investigation. In her opening statement, she kept to the aforesaid tack.
“The bottommost enactment is: justness and transparency successful this substance person been delivered astatine the absorption of President Trump and his administration,” she said, according to a written transcript of her opening statement.
The transcribed Bondi interrogation gave lawmakers a accidental to excavation for accusation connected the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files and different related matters, including the situation condemnation of Epstein’s erstwhile woman and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell.
But Democratic lawmakers said that Bondi told them she would not talk astir the president successful the interrogation and, accompanied by a lawyer from the Department of Justice, cited her quality to diminution questions due to the fact that she agreed to look earlier the committee voluntarily.
“It’s a sham successful there. They are not answering immoderate questions,” said Democratic Rep. Dave Min during a interruption successful the interview.
Epstein killed himself successful a New York City jailhouse compartment successful 2019 portion awaiting trial. Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted successful 2021 of luring teenage girls to beryllium sexually abused by Epstein but has insisted she’s innocent, arguing she ne'er should person been prosecuted. The Justice Department moved Maxwell from a national situation successful Florida to a situation campy successful Texas past August.
Lawmakers are trying to find retired what decisions prosecutors person made astir investigating Epstein associates, however the Justice Department handled the legislature mandate to merchandise the Epstein lawsuit files and whether President Donald Trump was progressive successful the process.
Bondi told lawmakers successful her opening connection that then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is present the acting lawyer general, had overseen the process to merchandise the Epstein lawsuit files arsenic mandated by a instrumentality passed by Congress and signed by Trump past year.
She called it “an enormously analyzable and labor-intensive process” and conceded that the section had made redaction errors. But she mostly defended the Justice Department’s work, saying that it had complied with the instrumentality and demonstrated “an unprecedented committedness to transparency.”
Several survivors of Epstein’s maltreatment besides gathered extracurricular the Capitol bureau wherever the interrogation was taking place. They tried to marque their beingness known to Bondi arsenic she entered the room, but respective said they were shoved speech by constabulary officers.
“We anticipation that she finds it successful her bosom to beryllium wholly honest,” said Marina Lacerda, 1 of the survivors. “That’s each we’re asking for.”
The survivors besides implored lawmakers to clasp Bondi accountable for the handling of the Epstein lawsuit files’ release, which included the idiosyncratic accusation of imaginable victims.
They confronted the committee chair, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, and helium told them that helium would property for the implicit merchandise of lawsuit files mandated by law.
“We privation justness for the survivors, we do,” Comer added.
Bondi, who revealed this week that she is being treated for thyroid cancer, has stayed wrong the Republican president’s orbit adjacent aft being ousted from her occupation successful aboriginal April.
Trump appointed Bondi to a White House sheet connected artificial quality this week, and she volition beryllium accompanied Friday by Justice Department officials, including Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department’s Civil Rights Division, acting arsenic her counsel.
Democrats accidental that statement is simply a struggle of interest.
Bondi was cardinal to the Epstein saga
Bondi has been cardinal to the governmental firestorm implicit Epstein, initially raising expectations for the afloat merchandise of what’s known arsenic the Epstein files, lone to aboriginal backtrack. That reversal prompted Congress to measurement successful and walk a instrumentality requiring the release.
Bondi faced adjacent much backlash erstwhile the Justice Department’s merchandise of the files was delayed and past included idiosyncratic accusation and nude photos of respective imaginable victims. She has insisted successful legislature hearings that she was trying to travel the law.
The House Oversight Committee, meanwhile, has been conducting a wide-ranging probe into Epstein that spans aggregate statesmanlike administrations.
The interrogation format is already contentious
Bondi was subpoenaed by the committee successful March successful a bipartisan vote, but she tried to caput disconnected that request by holding a closed-door gathering with lawmakers that month. The maneuver lone added to the enmity betwixt Bondi and Democrats connected the committee.
Bondi’s departure from the Justice Department besides raised doubts astir the enforcement of the legislature subpoena. After the committee’s Democrats maneuvered to property for a civilian contempt of Congress solution against Bondi, she agreed to beryllium for a transcribed interrogation alternatively than a sworn deposition.
Democrats connected the Oversight sheet person criticized that arrangement, saying that it allows Bondi to diminution to reply questions. They besides objected to Comer’s determination not to video the interview.
“We proceed to beryllium incredibly disappointed of the determination to not person this interrogation videotaped and past released to the American public,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the apical Democrat connected the panel.
Comer has said helium is allowing Bondi to beryllium for a transcribed interrogation alternatively than a deposition arsenic an inducement to cooperate. Previously, helium had enforced a subpoena connected erstwhile President Bill Clinton and erstwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aft they resisted the demand. Both of their depositions were video-recorded.
Still, Comer said Bondi could look prosecution if she lies to Congress. He said the committee would besides merchandise a transcript of the interview.
Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer successful Washington contributed to this report.
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