Pam Bondi admits to ‘redaction errors’ in Epstein files but defends DoJ’s handling | Pam Bondi

Former attorney general Pam Bondi on Friday defended the Department of Justice (DoJ)’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files under her leadership, telling lawmakers on the House oversight and reform committee that she “did not lead every aspect” of the department’s efforts but instead turned over oversight of the process to former deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, who now serves as attorney general.

Democratic lawmakers also said Bondi refused to answer questions about Donald Trump’s role in releasing the files.

“We have demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to transparency in the department’s search, collection and review of the Epstein files,” Bondi said in a prepared opening statement obtained by the Guardian.

Bondi appeared before the committee Friday morning to answer lawmakers’ questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein investigation and release of the files under his leadership.

“This was an extremely complex and labor-intensive process,” Bondi said in his speech. “To the best of my knowledge, the department has prepared everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

“As the head of a large agency with broad responsibilities, I did not direct every aspect of this effort or conduct document review myself,” he added, saying he “delegated oversight of this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.”

“The team of professionals who reviewed all the materials we collected assured me that the only materials retained were unresponsive, privileged or duplicates,” he said.

Bondi in her opening speech He acknowledged that “there were correction errors” but said “this department has been committed to accountability and transparency since day one of this process.”

“Our position has always been that the department remains prepared to review any potential evidence of criminal activity relating to Epstein and his associates and will initiate appropriate investigation or prosecution wherever the facts and law warrant.

“The bottom line is this: Fairness and transparency in this matter were ensured at the direction of President Trump and his administration,” he concluded.

The committee announced in late April that Bondi would appear before the panel as part of the investigation into Epstein, shortly after Democrats on the committee filed a civil lawsuit. contempt decision against him.

Bondi’s appearance comes after the justice department has faced criticism in recent months for its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with the department failing to meet the law’s Dec. 19 deadline to release relevant files and instead releasing what it claimed were complete files on Jan. 31.

“What documents are left?” Republican representative James Comer, who chairs the committee, in question ahead of Bondi’s deposition on Friday. “Why weren’t they handed over? We will try to determine if more documents can legally be turned over.”

Robert Garcia, the committee’s representative and top Democrat. in question “We continue to be incredibly disappointed in the decision not to record this interview on video and release it to the American public” Friday morning.

A few hours after Friday’s interrogation, Garcia left the room where the interview was taking place and he told reporters He said Bondi told lawmakers that “the current acting AG, Todd Blanche, is the one running the Epstein investigation, and frankly, all the mistakes that we’ve seen, the corrections, the failure to protect survivors, he continues to put that on Acting AG Todd Blanche.”

Garcia also said: asked Bondi “She was asked five different questions five times about her conversations with President Trump, whether Trump gave her direction on the Epstein files, what she knew, what she wanted him to fix, or what he wanted her to fix, and he refused to answer any questions about President Trump.”

On Friday afternoon, Bondi opposed Garcia’s offer. claim He said he “placed the entire investigation and blame on Acting AG Todd Blanche,” calling it “NOT TRUE.” post on social media“Acting AG praised Blanche’s handling of this Herculean task. I said her ethics were impeccable and she was an incredible Attorney General.”

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have also voiced concerns in recent months that sensitive personal information was improperly disclosed in the files, while some lawmakers have also criticized some redactions in the documents. The ministry argued that it acted in accordance with the law.

Several survivors spoke briefly before Bondi testified. press conference They said they were hoping for “accuracy and transparency” here and hoping to get “some answers” from Bondi’s statement on Friday.

“We hope there are no deviations,” said Danielle Bensky, one of the survivors. He added: “Survivors were brought out, there was Jane Does mentioned over 500 times in these files, this is unacceptable, nude photos.”

Maria Farmer, another Epstein survivor, also issued a statement about Bondi’s interrogation for several hours on Friday, saying it was “not surprising that Bondi continued to evade questions about his serious mishandling of the release of the Epstein files; this is a pattern of behavior.”

“Bondi has ignored and disregarded at every turn the will of Epstein survivors who have been waiting for justice for decades, and even now, as a private citizen, she denies responsibility for her missteps and failures,” Farmer added.

“I’ve waited for justice since I first came to the FBI in 1996, and I’ve had enough,” he added.

Bondi was formally subpoenaed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the committee in March, while he was still serving as attorney general. in this subpoena letterComer wrote that there are “questions regarding the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

But after Donald Trump removed Bondi from her position, the committee said it was notified by the justice department that Bondi would not attend the scheduled deposition, and argued that “the committee subpoenaed Ms. Bondi in her official capacity as attorney general” and that Bondi “no longer holds that position” and therefore “the subpoena no longer obligates her to attend.”

Bondi did not show up for his requested deposition date, and in late April, Democrats on the committee filed a civil lawsuit. contempt decision against him. Shortly after, the committee announced that Bondi would appear before the panel on May 29. His interview will be transcribed and the transcript will be released at a later date.

A Justice Department spokeswoman told the Guardian this week that deputy attorney general Harmeet Dhillon and other Justice Department staff would attend Bondi’s written interview “to assist the committee in understanding the department’s role in implementing and complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act throughout his tenure.”

“Former attorney general Bondi oversaw the department when the law was enacted and implemented. [the justice department’s] its presence is solely to ensure accurate representation of departmental processes, facilitate necessary disclosures, and promote a complete factual record for the committee,” the spokesperson said. “As with any congressional involvement that involves past departmental actions, [the justice department] provides staff with relevant corporate information on a regular basis to promote transparency, accuracy and collaboration with oversight responsibilities.”

In mid-March, Bondi appeared for a closed-door briefing with the panel, during which Democrats stormed out, accusing her of refusing to comply with a subpoena for sworn testimony before the committee.

Earlier this week, axios Trump reportedly recently appointed Bondi to an advisory committee focused on artificial intelligence policy. At the same time reported this The week Bondi was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after leaving the justice department. he said CNN He said he was receiving treatment and was still recovering.