Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told a House committee on Friday that she delegated oversight of the Jeffrey Epstein files release to Todd Blanche, now acting attorney general, and admitted to “redaction errors” in the process. Bondi defended the Department of Justice’s handling under her leadership, stating that the department demonstrated an “unprecedented commitment to transparency.”
During her opening statement, Bondi said she did not lead every aspect of the review but relied on Blanche and a team of professionals. She acknowledged that some materials were withheld due to being nonresponsive, privileged, or duplicative, and that there were redaction errors. Bondi insisted the department was committed to accountability and transparency since day one.
Democratic lawmakers criticized Bondi for refusing to answer questions about former President Donald Trump’s involvement. Representative Robert Garcia said Bondi declined to respond to five separate questions about her conversations with Trump regarding the Epstein files. Garcia also noted that Bondi attributed the redaction mistakes to Todd Blanche.
Bondi pushed back on social media, calling Garcia’s claim that she blamed Blanche “NOT TRUE.” She praised Blanche’s management of the task and his ethics. The hearing comes after the DOJ missed a December deadline to release Epstein files, eventually releasing them on 31 January.
