Pam Bondi claims Todd Blanche was ‘in charge’ of ‘entire release’ of Epstein files | Pam Bondi

Former attorney general Pam Bondi told lawmakers that Donald Trump’s appointee Todd Blanche was “responsible” for the US Justice Department’s controversial handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Appearing before the House oversight and reform committee, which is investigating the late financier and convicted sex offender, Bondi said Trump was “unsure of how confident” he was about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking crimes, before their crimes were made public.

When contacted for comment on Bondi’s statement, White House press secretary Abigail Jackson claimed in a statement Thursday that Trump was “completely exonerated of any matter involving Einstein.”

Bondi claimed that Blanche, who served as Bondi’s deputy at the justice department, was responsible for “the publication of the complete Epstein files,” according to a memorandum released by the committee on Thursday. Following Bondi’s ouster, Blanche was appointed acting attorney general, and Trump said this week he plans to nominate her for the post permanently.

Last week, Bondi faced questions about the justice department’s handling of the Epstein files during his tenure. His appearance comes as the department continues to review the files and for compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates the release of Epstein-related records held by the department. The Ministry stated that it acted in accordance with the law.

Some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as survivors of Epstein’s abuse, have criticized some of the department’s actions and expressed concerns about some redactions and the disclosure of sensitive personal information in the files.

In his opening statement and throughout his testimony, Bondi defended the Justice Department’s handling of the records under his leadership, while also trying to distance himself from the release and review of the files, saying he “did not lead every aspect” of the department’s efforts but former deputy attorney general Blanche, who is now the acting attorney general.

“He was responsible for the process and the release of all of the Epstein files,” he told lawmakers on May 29. In his opening statement, he also said he “did not conduct the document review” and told the panel that he “delegated oversight of this process to Blanche.”

Bondi acknowledged there were “redacted errors” in the release but insisted that “this department has been committed to accountability and transparency since day one of this process.”

During a break in questioning last week, several Democratic lawmakers he told reporters He said Bondi told them that “Blanche was the one leading the Epstein investigation, and frankly, all the mistakes we saw, the corrections, not protecting the survivors, she continues to put that on acting AG Todd Blanche.”

Bondi later retracted this description. social media He called the post “NOT TRUE” and said he “praises Acting AG Blanche for managing this Herculean task.”

The transcript appears to show Bondi addressing allegations Democrats made during the break and denying that she was “blaming Todd for anything.”

“Todd Blanche is one of the most moral people I know and I think he is making an incredible Deputy Attorney General,” he said in his statement. “And he oversaw this second investigation with very few mistakes – and it was a Herculean task.”

If formally nominated by Trump to be attorney general on a permanent basis, Blanche would need confirmation from the U.S. Senate.

In her testimony last week, Bondi also told MPs she learned about Maxwell’s controversial prison transfer from the news “after the fact” and claimed: “I had nothing to do with it.”

Asked if Maxwell would be pardoned, Bondi answered “no” and added that Maxwell was a “monster.” “I believe he should have died in prison,” Bondi said.

Throughout the interview, Bondi also refused to have any conversations with Trump, saying she would not comment on her conversations with the US president.

In one exchange, MPs asked Bondi whether “any victims or victim advocates” had reached out to the department as soon as he took office.

“Yes,” Bondi replied. When asked how many there were, he said he couldn’t remember the number, adding: “I know of multiple victims; there were multiple victims, and I believe most of them, the majority of them, were represented by lawyers.”

“Did you meet with them in person, or was that something Todd Blanche would do?” MPs asked Bondi: “No. I spoke to a lawyer. I can’t remember his name.”

“I talked to him and I think I referred him to the FBI,” he added. “You know, when a victim is represented, you contact their attorney.”

Bondi’s appearance before the committee followed weeks of wrangling between the former attorney general and lawmakers on the committee.

Democrats after Bondi’s statement persistently Republican representative James Comer, who chairs the committee, called for the panel to bring in Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel to answer questions as part of its investigation into the Epstein case.