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House Oversight Committee Democrats stormed out in protest of a closed-door briefing on files related to late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein amid claims that Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to commit to complying with a subpoena to testify in April, ABC News reports.
"She refused on multiple occasions to commit to following the subpoena that Chairman [James] Comer actually just put out. I asked her repeatedly that question. Other members asked her that question, and she would not commit to it. It is outrageous. It's infuriating, and it's continuous -- this White House cover up of the Epstein files," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a high-ranking member on the committee.
The Democrats characterized the closed-door briefing on the files as a "'fake hearing" while Republicans called their protest a "premeditated stunt."
"She said she's going to stick to the law, whatever the law is, that's what it is. So, I'm not the attorney but that was a legal answer, and that's what she's required to do as the attorney general," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). "It was all staged, you could tell it, because it just built up to it."
Bondi reiterated that she would comply with the subpoena after the briefing.
“I made it crystal clear. I will follow the law," she said.
Bondi was subpoenaed by the House Republican-led committee to answer questions about "the possible mismanagement" of the Justice Department's probe into Epstein on Tuesday (March 17). 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, Burchett, and fellow Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, 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.