U.S. Democrats state Pam Bondi declines to address Trump concerns in Epstein probe

Upgraded – May 30, 2026 07:09 am IST – WASHINGTON, D.C.

Previous U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi gets here with her entourage, consisting of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, and an authorities escort for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee interview as part of the committee’s continuous probe into the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 29, 2026.|Picture Credit: Reuters

“I did not lead every element of this effort or perform that file evaluation myself. I entrusted oversight over this procedure to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche,”Ms. Bondi stated in a ready declaration gotten by Reuters

Agent Robert Garcia of California, the leading Democrat on the committee, informed press reporters Ms. Bondi declined to address concerns relating to Mr. Trump, stating a Justice Department legal representative sitting beside her “actioned in and informed the previous Attorney General that she was not going to address those concerns.”

Under her period, the Justice Department stated it would not launch info that exposed victims or jeopardized continuous examinations.

Ms. Bondi dealt with sharp criticism from Democrats and some Republicans throughout her period for her handling of the release of countless files associated with Epstein.

Democrats and some Republicans implicated Ms. Bondi of attempting to protect Mr. Trump from examination. Mr. Trump opposed the release of the info till soon before Congress extremely passed a law buying its release.

Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico stated Ms. Bondi informed the committee that the Justice Department has actually launched 3 million out of 6 million Epstein-related files. “This is a cover-up,” she stated.

In her opening declaration to the panel, Ms. Bondi acknowledged “redaction mistakes” however did not information those errors. She likewise safeguarded the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case and the release of the files.

“To the very best of my understanding, the department produced whatever needed,” she stated in her declaration, which was acquired by Reuters.

The interview with Ms. Bondi concluded without her speaking to press reporters collected outside the committee space.

Before Ms. Bondi’s statement started, Chairman James Comer of Kentucky informed press reporters: “We will be asking today about why files still are not launched … what files stay and why they have not been turned over.”

Mr. Trump fired Ms. Bondi on April 2, in part due to her handling of the Epstein files.

Mr. Trump and Epstein hung out in the 1990s and early 2000s, however Mr. Trump has actually consistently stated he ended the relationship before Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to obtaining prostitution from a small. Epstein was jailed once again in 2019 and charged with sex trafficking of minors, implicated of recruiting and abusing minor women in New York and Florida. His death that year in a New York prison cell was ruled a suicide. The Epstein files exposed the investor’s ties to effective individuals, consisting of Mr. Trump, previous President Bill Clinton and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the previous Duke of York. All have stated they had no understanding of Epstein’s supposed sex trafficking.

Mr. Garcia criticised Comer’s choice to not video Ms. Bondi’s interview, which he stated would have enabled the general public to determine her manner.

One survivor of Epstein’s abuse was likewise on hand to criticise Ms. Bondi’s handling of the product.

“It boggles my mind that the Department of Justice launched uncensored images … the Department of Justice launched porn. That is undesirable,” a survivor informed press reporters outside the committee hearing space.