Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has told members of Congress that her successor, Todd Blanche, was responsible for the chaotic release of millions of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to Democratic lawmakers.
Bondi's Testimony to House Oversight Committee
Bondi, who was fired by Donald Trump last month, gave a closed-door deposition to the House Oversight Committee. During the session, she stated that she had delegated oversight of the so-called Epstein files and the federal government's investigations into Epstein to her then-deputy, now acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Representative Robert Garcia, the committee's top Democrat, told reporters on Friday: "It was Todd Blanche, the current acting AG, that was leading the Epstein investigation. And quite frankly, all of the mistakes that we saw — the redactions, not protecting survivors — she continues to push that back onto the acting AG Todd Blanche, who by the way was Donald Trump's personal lawyer."
Refusal to Discuss Trump Conversations
Garcia also revealed that lawmakers asked Bondi five times about her conversations with Trump regarding the case, but "she refused to answer any questions" about him. "In fact, she said she would not speak or respond to any questions that had anything to do with President Trump," Garcia added.
Bondi's Prepared Remarks
In her prepared remarks to the committee, Bondi acknowledged that "there were redaction errors" during the release of the Epstein files. These errors reportedly "outed" roughly 100 survivors, according to a federal lawsuit. Bondi stated: "But since day one of this process, this Department has been committed to accountability and transparency. Our stance has always been that the Department stands ready to review any potential evidence of criminal activity related to Epstein and his associates and would pursue appropriate investigative or prosecutorial action wherever the facts and law warrant."
This is a developing story.
