House Oversight Committee Subpoenas AG Pam Bondi Over Epstein Files

The House Oversight Committee formally subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify over the Department of Justice's (DOJ) handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The Subpoena: The subpoena was issued by the committee chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) on Tuesday, following a vote to issue the subpoena on March 4. Comer, in the subpoena cover letter to Bondi, said the committee is "reviewing the possible mismanagement of the federal government's investigation" into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The letter also said, "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."

House Judiciary Committee: Bondi in February faced questions from Democrats and Republicans about the DOJ's handling of the Epstein investigation, where outlets across the spectrum reported on the tense and chaotic nature of the hearing.

The Votes: The votes for the subpoena consisted of all 19 Democrats in the committee, and five Republicans. Republican votes included Lauren Boebert (CO), Tim Burchett (TN), Michael Cloud (TX), Nancy Mace (SC) and Scott Perry (PA).

DOJ Response: "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. 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.  As always, we look forward to continuing to provide policymakers with the facts," a department spokesperson said in a statement.

Other High Profile Subpoenas: In March, the House Oversight committee questioned both Bill and Hillary Clinton for over four hours each in closed-door depositions pertaining to the investigation into Epstein. The Clintons both initially declined to testify, but eventually agreed after being threatened with contempt of Congress charges.

How The Media Covered It: Outlets on the left, like MS Now (Left bias) and Politico (Lean Left) led by saying that Comer issued the subpoena, while some outlets on the right like the New York Post (Lean Right) said the "committee subpoenaed" Bondi. The New York Post also showed which Republicans voted for the motion, showing that Comer was not one of the supporters of the subpoena. Outlets on the left, like Politico, were also more likely to mention Bondi's appearance at the House Judiciary hearing last month where she "sparred with lawmakers." Outlets on the right, like Fox News (Right), mentioned that the investigation into Epstein has "spanned decades," adding that "Trump has long noted to critics, he was the president that brought Epstein to justice."  

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