U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arrive for a closed-door briefing for members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on May 29, the committee announced Wednesday.
The panel’s majority announced the appearance the same day its Democratic members said they had begun the process to hold Bondi in civil contempt of Congress after she skipped scheduled testimony earlier this month. The committee had called Bondi in to testify on the Department of Justice’s handling of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“This is all theater and completely unnecessary. They were happy giving the Clintons a free pass for months. We have secured Bondi’s appearance for May 29,” the House Oversight committee majority posted to X, in response to Democrat’s contempt announcement. “Today, we’re marking up legislation to tackle fraud at the federal level and all Democrats can talk about is Epstein.”
Bill and Hillary Clinton fought subpoenas for months, but eventually both testified before the committee in February. The House Oversight committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed Bondi in March.
The committee’s ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and all other Democratic members filed a contempt resolution Wednesday and claimed Bondi “illegally defied our committee.”
“Bondi has extensive personal knowledge about the Trump Administration’s handling of the Epstein files, and regardless of her job title, her testimony and cooperation are crucial. The survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse deserve answers and the American people deserve the truth,” Garcia said in a statement.
President Donald Trump fired Bondi on April 2. She had been scheduled to testify before the oversight panel on April 14. Bondi had been heavily criticized for her handling of the Epstein files. Last week, the Department of Justice’s internal watchdog announced it was investigating the agency’s compliance with a 2025 law that compelled the full release of the files.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who led the Senate version of the law forcing the release of the Epstein files, announced on Tuesday that the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ independent watchdog, will also probe the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files.
