Attorney General Bondi faces House lawmakers in high-profile hearing
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Attorney General Pam Bondi will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday; Here, lawmakers are expected to confront the Justice Department over its handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case files, multiple high-profile, politically charged indictments and broader structural changes at the department.
The hearing, which started at 10 a.m., was Bondi’s first appearance before the Parliamentary committee since he took over as head of the Ministry of Justice.
While some Republicans will likely praise Bondi for shifting the department’s focus to street crimes, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, Democrats and other Republicans have signaled they will criticize Bondi over the department’s attempts to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law that requires the Justice Department to release all declassified files related to the Epstein case.
EXPASSED EPSTEIN DEADLINE HIGHLIGHTS THE DIFFICULTY OF REVIEWING FILE VALUES WITHIN 30 DAYS
Attorney General Pam Bondi is sworn in ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Republicans on the committee could highlight the Justice Department’s efforts to combat transnational drug trafficking and the opioid epidemic, as well as violent crime and immigration, which the Trump administration has made clear are its top priorities.
In the most significant drug case filed during Bondi’s tenure, the Justice Department filed a felony indictment against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, alleging narcoterrorism conspiracy and firearms charges. Following his surprising capture last month, Maduro and his wife were brought to the Southern District of New York, where they remain in custody awaiting trial.
It is expected that some recent controversial legal developments will come to light during the hearing.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
A federal judge ruled that the temporary appointment of Lindsey Halligan, who runs the U.S. attorney’s office in Eastern Virginia, was illegal. The move derailed the Justice Department’s high-profile indictments of FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James and led a judge to throw out the cases. The Justice Department is now appealing them.
