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Attorney General Pam Bondi was subpoenaed by the House Republican-led committee to answer questions about "the possible mismanagement" of the Justice Department's probe into late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday (March 17), the New York Post reports.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote a letter to Bondi notifying her that the panel was also seeking information about “the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr. Epstein’s death,” as well as materials gathered that led to the conviction of Epstein's accomplice and longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell. The Oversight panel had previously voted in favor of having Bondi appear for a deposition earlier this month and asked her to appear on April 14.
Five Republicans on the Oversight Committee joined Democrats to vote, 24 to 19, in favor of the subpoena, which was introduced by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace. The vote provided a sharp criticism of Bondi, a top official of President Donald Trump's administration, by her own party with conservatives holding the majority in Congress, as well as the second time that Republican members of the Oversight Committee have crossed party lines to force action in connection with the Epstein files.
The five Republicans who crossed party lines included Mace and Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Michael Cloud of Texas and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, all of whom have been staunch supporters of Trump. Comer, who objected prior to the bipartisan vote, will be required to issue the subpoena for a closed-door deposition in which Bondi will speak under oath.
The Justice Department is obligated to release all files related to the Epstein case in adherence with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by Trump in November after some prior pushback, with redactions only supposed to be made to protect victims and ongoing investigations.