Former attorney general Pam Bondi has told lawmakers that Todd Blanche, the man Donald Trump has lined up to replace her, was "in charge" of the US Department of Justice's controversial handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Appearing before the House oversight and reform committee, Bondi also said she was "not certain of the extent" that Trump knew about the crimes of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell before they became public.
Blanche, who served as Bondi's deputy at the justice department, was responsible for the "entire release of the Epstein files", Bondi claimed, according to a transcript released by the committee on Thursday. Blanche was appointed acting attorney general following Bondi's ouster, and Trump said this week he planned to nominate him for the role permanently.
In her testimony, Bondi defended the justice department's handling of the records under her leadership while distancing herself from the release, saying she did not "lead every aspect" of the effort. "He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files," she told lawmakers. Bondi acknowledged "there were redaction errors" but insisted the department had been "committed to accountability and transparency".
Several Democratic lawmakers have said Bondi was pushing blame onto Blanche. Afterward, Bondi denied this in a social media post, calling it "NOT TRUE", and praised Blanche's management of the "Herculean task". During the hearing, she said Blanche was "one of the most highly ethical individuals I know" and had managed the investigation "with very little error".
Bondi also told lawmakers she learned of Ghislaine Maxwell's prison transfer through news reports "after it happened", and said Maxwell should "die in prison". She declined to discuss any conversations with Trump, and when asked whether victims' attorneys had reached out to the department, she replied "yes" without specifying how many. A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, said in a statement that Trump had been "totally exonerated on anything relating to Epstein".
If formally nominated, Blanche would require confirmation from the US Senate.
