Bondi grilled on Epstein files in first Capitol Hill return since DOJ ouster

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi returns to Capitol Hill on Friday for the first time since being ousted from the Justice Department, as lawmakers prepare to grill her over the Epstein files. 

Bondi will voluntarily participate in a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Democrats walked out of a heated briefing hosted by Bondi and then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on the Epstein files in March, but lawmakers on the oversight panel are expected to heavily scrutinize her tenure during the closed-door testimony, which could stretch for hours.

"Pam Bondi will finally have to answer our questions tomorrow about the Epstein files," House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., wrote on social media. "It’s time for the truth."

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Bondi’s appearance comes after Democrats and a handful of Republicans on the committee threatened to recommend civil contempt charges against her if she did not comply with a subpoena for her testimony. 

The Trump administration initially argued that Bondi should not have to testify and sit for a deposition as part of the committee’s probe because she was no longer in her official role as attorney general.

The transcribed interview setting will not require Bondi to testify before congressional investigators under oath, but individuals speaking before Congress are still criminally prohibited from making false statements. A transcript of the interview could also be made available at a later date. 

The interview is taking place during Congress’ Memorial Day recess, and it remains unclear how many lawmakers will attend.

Some Democrats on the panel have voiced objections to the interview setting.

"Bondi must testify under oath, on camera, for the public to see," Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-Ariz., said Thursday. "We demand transparency and accountability for Bondi and Blanche."

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Bondi has faced relentless scrutiny over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files under her leadership, including from some Republicans, such as Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

She told Fox News at the start of her DOJ tenure that the files were "sitting on my desk right now for review," but later appeared to backtrack on that claim.

Scrutiny mounted after a months-long delay in releasing information to the public, which accelerated after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, mandating the release of the files.

The department has since released more than three million pages of documents, though critics have complained that the records were not appropriately redacted.

Bondi will be represented by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who has served as Bondi’s counsel since her firing.

"Because former Attorney General Bondi oversaw the Department at the time the Act was enacted and carried out, DOJ’s presence is solely to ensure accurate representation of Department processes, facilitate any necessary clarifications, and support a complete factual record for the Committee," a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The interview also comes as Bondi has undergone treatment for thyroid cancer, Axios first reported. The former top prosecutor was diagnosed shortly after leaving the Justice Department in April. 

"Pam has been quietly kicking cancer's a-- the last few weeks," former Trump official and podcaster Katie Miller wrote on social media.