EXCLUSIVE | Congress Grilled on Epstein Files as Palm Beach Hearing, Bondi & Gates Testimony Looms—Lawmakers Demand Full Subpoenas, Stumble on Podesta
Congressional reporter Myles Morell contributed to this report.
Exclusive interviews conducted by The Gateway Pundit expose a glaring disconnect in Congress’s handling of the Jeffery Epstein scandal as three major moments converge this month: a Democratic field hearing in Palm Beach on May 12, former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s transcribed interview on May 29 and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ testimony on June 10.
The Palm Beach hearing, led by Oversight Democrats and Ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia, will feature testimony from Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell survivors and examine how the abuses continued in the very location where Epstein’s crimes first came to light.
All three events feed into the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s ongoing probe of the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case, compliance with the Epstein Transparency Act and high-profile connections.
Bondi is expected to face questions on redactions and the DOJ’s release process.
Gates is slated to be questioned on his flights aboard Epstein’s plane and documented ties to Maxwell.
Lawmakers across party lines are voicing unanimous support for releasing all remaining unredacted files and using subpoena power aggressively to question every prominent name linked to the scandal.
“We should be subpoenaing every possible person. The whole American public– Democrat and Republican, want to get to the bottom of this, ” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va,) told TGP in an exclusive interview.
Rep. Mark Veasy (D-Texas) added, “They need to release all of the files… The president won’t let all of the files with his names to be released…and that’s bullshit.
Rep. @MarcVeasey on subpoenaing every name mentioned in the Epstein Files pic.twitter.com/znLBQGLu16
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) May 5, 2026
“Don’t go on 60 Minutes and talk the talk, but you can’t walk the walk ,” Veasy fumed. “You won’t let the files be released that have your ass– that have your name on it. So, come on dude.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and chair of its Cybersecurity subcommittee questioned why names of key co-conspirators remain redacted.
“I am for exposing everything. I am for holding Pam Bondi in contempt. I’m for interviewing as many people as possible. I am for releasing all of the files,” the South Carolinian Republican told TGP in an exclusive interview. “Many of the files that we have gotten, particularly the ones about co-conspirators, are actually redacted. So, we don’t have all of the information from either SDNY or FBI, etc., DOJ — those records need to come out.”
“We need the Justice Department to have investigations and prosecutions. It’s really for the DOJ — Massie and I have passed the law,” Khanna told TGP in an exclusive interview. “We intend to get the rest of the files released and then get people before the Oversight Committee to answer questions.”
Despite the strong bipartisan rhetoric, several lawmakers appeared unfamiliar with early red flags that first ignited widespread public suspicion over elite misconduct.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.),chairman of the Oversight Committee’s Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, claimed he was completely unaware of the leaked Podesta emails, but pledged to raise the issue with House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.“I have no idea,” said of the scandal surrounding Podesta. “This is news to me, but I am going to go talk to Chairman Comer right now about it if I can find him on the House floor — definitely something we need to get to the bottom of.”
Asked why Podesta has yet to be subpoenaed, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) replied, “That’s a good question.”
Rep. @TroyNehls learns about the 2016 emails of @johnpodesta, @HillaryClinton’s former campaign manager: pic.twitter.com/wlS5NLiK3m
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) May 5, 2026
Nehls argued all of the 2016 Clinton campaign activities deserve scrutiny.
“I haven’t been privy to that information” surrounding Podesta’s alleged misconduct, he told TGP in an exclusive interview. :it should all be looked into– that whole 2016 election, the 2020 election, it should all be done –Russia, Russia, Russia,’ what we did. FISA is coming up. What we did to Carter Page.
“There was just a lot of shady activities going on back then, with the Clinton campaign, certainly,” the Texas lawmaker continued. “When I walk in there to vote, I will ask a few people about it, see what they know.”
Similarly, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) said he doesn’t “know much… at all” about scandal-plagued Podesta’s alleged misconduct and vowed to investigate the matter and potentially subpoena Podesta.
“Actually, I’m curious to find out though. I am in Oversight now, so maybe that’s exactly what will happen,” McCormick told TGP in an exclusive interview. “Mr. Comer is great at ferreting those things out and I look forward to any sort of hearing we’ll have and bringing them in front of the committee.”
This disconnect comes as Americans across party lines continue to demand complete transparency surrounding crimes committed by the powerful elite. Public frustration remains intense and bipartisan.
Recent polling shows overwhelming dissatisfaction with the pace and completeness of the releases. A CNN poll from January 2026 found just 6 percent of Americans satisfied with the amount of Epstein information released, while 67 percent believe the government is intentionally holding back details.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals 69 percent agree the files demonstrate that “powerful people in the U.S. are rarely held accountable,” with a majority saying the releases lowered their trust in elites.
As the House Oversight Committee gears up for Bondi’s May 29 transcribed interview and Gates’ June 10 testimony, the message from the public is clear: Americans want more than hearings. They demand real accountability, no selective blindness and the truth no matter whose names surface.
Over 3.5 million pages were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act earlier this year, but heavy redactions remain. The GAO and DOJ Inspector General have launched reviews.
As the May 12 Palm Beach field hearing, Bondi’s May 29 appearance, and Gates’ June 10 testimony approach, McCormick highlighted the irony:
WATCH: @RepMcCormick was unaware of @johnpodesta’s 2016 email leaks.
McCormick, who is now on House Oversight is open to subpoenaing Podesta. pic.twitter.com/f0Yq16fpbz
— Myles Morell (@MorellMedia) May 5, 2026
“[Democrats] think there’s some ‘there’ there that they haven’t found. If you had the Biden administration in charge of all that information, and you didn’t expose him then, what do you think they’re hiding? Nothing,” the GOP lawmaker said. “But what has been overlooked: how many times Bill Clinton went out to the island and what he was doing?… Ironically, the left is going to pay for their accusations. There are way more suspicious things that happened with Bill Clinton than what happened with President Trump.”
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