Bondi Blames Acting AG Todd Blanche for Epstein Files Controversies

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to answer questions about President Donald Trump’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and sought to blame her replacement, Todd Blanche, for the handling of the release of the information surrounding the case during a closed-door interview Friday on Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers said.

Bondi, who left the Justice Department last month, spoke voluntarily with the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Epstein. Democratic lawmakers said the former attorney general was not willing to discuss Trump, instead repeatedly naming Todd Blanche, now the acting attorney general, as the person overseeing the release of the Epstein files.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), the top Democrat on the committee, said Bondi asserted that Blanche “was managing the entire investigation.” Based on Bondi’s comments, Democrats said Friday afternoon that they will request that Blanche speak with the Oversight Committee. Garcia said lawmakers were willing to “force a subpoena and try to get the votes, ” which would require the support of a majority of committee members.

“All of the mistakes that we saw — the redactions, not protecting survivors — she continues to push that back onto the acting AG Todd Blanche,” Garcia told reporters during a break in questioning Friday.

Blanche was deputy attorney general under Bondi, and previously represented Trump personally.

Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chairman of the Oversight Committee, did not speak with reporters after the interview Friday.

Bondi was ousted at the Justice Department last month after falling out of favor with Trump. During her tenure as attorney general, she faced intense bipartisan criticism for her handling of the release of the Epstein files.

A source familiar with the interview told NOTUS that Harmeet Dhillon, an assistant attorney general at the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, was present at Bondi’s interview on Friday. Garcia said “someone from the DOJ, a high-ranking official, is also acting now as personal counsel to Ms. Bondi.”

The voluntary interview with the committee on Friday meant Bondi was not under oath, and it was not held publicly. Democrats are calling on committee Republicans to release the video of the interview, instead of just a written transcript.

“It is a shame and a disservice to the American people that this interview is not being recorded, videotaped and then released to the American public,” Garcia said.