Democrats on the House oversight committee walked out of a closed-door briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday, calling it an 'outrageous fake hearing' after Bondi refused to commit to testifying under oath. The briefing, which lasted less than an hour, was intended to address bipartisan frustration over the Justice Department's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation.
California Congressman Robert Garcia led the walkout, stating that Bondi would not agree to honour a subpoena to testify under oath. Florida Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost said, 'We asked her multiple times, are you going to come and speak with us under oath? She would not say yes.' Frost added, 'We want her under oath because we do not trust her. Because she's a liar.'
Pennsylvania Congresswoman Summer Lee reported that when she questioned how the committee would respond if Bondi refused to testify, Republican Chair James Comer accused her of 'bitching'. Comer later confirmed the exchange on social media, writing, 'I said Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone's time because Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone's time.'
The Justice Department had hoped the release of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act would quell political tensions, but the agency remains under scrutiny. Bondi has defended the department's handling of the files and accused Democrats of using the issue to distract from President Trump's successes, despite criticism also coming from within Trump's own party.
