Top officials in President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) are briefing the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday to aid Congress’ ongoing Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche are expected on Capitol Hill late Wednesday afternoon for a closed-door meeting with House lawmakers.
It comes a day after committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed Bondi for a sworn deposition in connection with the probe, to take place April 14.
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“The Committee has questions regarding the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” the subpoena read.
“As Attorney General, you are directly responsible for overseeing the Department’s collection, review, and determinations regarding the release of files pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the Committee therefore believes that you possess valuable insight into these efforts.”
Both the House and Senate voted in near-unanimous fashion late last year to compel the DOJ to make public all of its files related to Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
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The DOJ said on Jan. 30 that it had released all required documents, but some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pushed back on that claim.
A DOJ spokesperson also panned the subpoena in a statement to Fox News on Tuesday.
“This subpoena is completely unnecessary. Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress,” the spokesperson said. “She continues to have calls and meetings with members of Congress on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is why the Department offered to brief the committee tomorrow.”
Comer’s subpoena came after a vote by five Republicans and all Democrats on the committee earlier this month, initiated by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
Mace said in a statement after Comer followed through on the subpoena, “We moved to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi because the Department of Justice has not complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. They claim all files have been released. The facts say otherwise. Key evidence remains hidden from the public and from victims seeking justice.”
The committee’s months-long probe has seen lawmakers hear from figures on both sides of the aisle and non-political players within Epstein’s inner circle.
Last month, the panel deposed former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in their hometown of Chappaqua, New York. Lawmakers also recently heard from Richard Kahn, Epstein’s former longtime accountant.
Ex-Trump Attorney General Bill Barr and former Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta also appeared before the panel.
