Pam Bondi says all requested Epstein files released as she testifies before House: ‘Fairness and transparency ensured’ | Today’s news
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the Trump administration’s decision to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case when she testified Friday before House lawmakers who are investigating the stalled trial that allegedly contained personal information of potential victims, the AP reported.
She told the House Oversight Committee on Friday that the Justice Department has released all documents ordered under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, noting that she did not oversee every part of the process, according to her prepared opening statement, according to ABC News.
Bondi, who arrived on Capitol Hill Friday morning for a closed-door interview, had previously taken a firm stand during public testimony as he was questioned by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. She maintained a similar approach in her opening statement.
“The bottom line is: fairness and transparency in this matter was provided at the behest of President Trump and his administration,” she said, according to a written copy of her original statement, the AP reported.
“An extremely complicated and labor-intensive task”
The transcribed interview gave lawmakers an opportunity to learn details about the Trump administration’s handling of Epstein’s files, as well as related issues, including the prison sentence for Epstein’s former associate and confidante Ghislaine Maxwell.
Read also | Epstein’s prison guard, Tova Noel, will testify before a House committee today
Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019 by suicide in a New York prison while awaiting trial. His former associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 of recruiting teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse, though she maintained her innocence and argued she should not have been prosecuted. The Justice Department later transferred Maxwell from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas last August.
Lawmakers are seeking answers about prosecutors’ decisions to investigate Epstein’s associates, the Justice Department’s handling of a congressional mandate to release files related to Epstein and whether President Donald Trump played a role in the process.
Bondi said in her opening statement that then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who now serves as acting attorney general, oversaw the release of the Epstein case files, which was done under a law passed by Congress and signed by Trump last year.
Read also | 3.5 million Epstein files made public in secret New York ‘reading room’
She described the process as a “hugely complicated and labor-intensive task” and admitted that the department had made some mistakes in redacting the information. But she largely defended the Justice Department’s actions, saying it followed the law and demonstrated an “unprecedented commitment to transparency.”
Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse gathered outside the Capitol office where the interview was taking place. They tried to get Bondi’s attention when she entered, but some claimed the officers pushed them away.
Marina Lacerda, one of the survivors, mentioned: “We hope she finds it in her heart to be completely honest. That’s all we ask.”
Read also | ‘He’s not worth it!!’: Epstein’s alleged suicide note released by New York judge
Survivors also urged lawmakers to hold Bondi accountable for handling the release of Epstein’s files, which allegedly contained personal information of potential victims.
They later confronted the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, who assured them that he would seek the full release of all case files as required by law.
“We want justice for the survivors,” Comer said.
Bondi’s career
Bondi, who revealed this week that she is being treated for thyroid cancer, has remained close to the Republican president even after she was removed from office in early April.
Trump also appointed her to the White House artificial intelligence panel this week. She is scheduled to be accompanied on Friday by Justice Department officials, including Harmeet Dhillon, the chief of the civil rights division who serves as her attorney.
Bondi was at the center of the political controversy surrounding the Epstein case and initially raised expectations that the full set of the so-called Epstein files would be made public before changing course. This change of position led Congress to intervene and pass legislation mandating their release.
She came under further criticism when the release of the documents was delayed by the Justice Department and later found to contain personal information and nude images of several alleged victims. During the congressional hearings, Bondi maintained that she acted within the law.
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee continues its wide-ranging investigation into Epstein’s case, which spans multiple presidential administrations.
