Pam Bondi, freshly ousted from her perch as U.S. Attorney General, is officially off the hook for her scheduled deposition in the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. At least, according to the Justice Department.
In a Wednesday letter to House Oversight Chairman James Comer, Assistant Attorney General Patrick D. Davis made it clear: Bondi was subpoenaed in her official capacity as attorney general. Now that she isn’t, she doesn’t have to show up.
“Ms. Bondi no longer holds that office. As a result, because Ms. Bondi no longer can testify in her official capacity as Attorney General, the Department’s position is that the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear on April 14. We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn,” Davis wrote.
For Donald Trump, this may come as a small relief. Lawmakers had been preparing some tough questions for Bondi, and her testimony could have put the president in legal jeopardy. With her now off the hook, Trump is free of the immediate threat of Bondi cracking under congressional pressure — and potentially revealing uncomfortable details about his role in the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files.
Congress isn’t ready to throw in the towel. A spokesperson for the Republican-led panel said they would reach out to Bondi’s personal counsel to schedule her deposition in some other capacity.
And Democrats are not backing down. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the panel, laid it out bluntly:
“Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not. She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice.”
This isn’t some partisan stunt. Last month, the committee issued the subpoena with support from five Republicans, led by Rep. Nancy Mace, who insists Bondi cannot dodge accountability.
“Pam Bondi cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds the office of Attorney General. Our motion to subpoena Pam Bondi, which was passed by the Oversight Committee, was for Bondi by name, not by title. She will still have to appear before the Oversight Committee for a sworn deposition,” Mace said on X. “The American people deserve answers, and we expect her to appear as soon as a new date is set.”
Even before Bondi’s ouster, Democrats and moderate Republicans were maneuvering to make sure Comer didn’t pull the plug on the subpoena. Just this week, Mace and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna sent a letter demanding that the committee publicly reaffirm Bondi’s deposition.
Comer, who didn’t vote for the subpoena and has voiced skepticism about its necessity, has indicated he plans to discuss next steps with Republican members before making any changes.
“I haven’t talked to Republicans, I’m sure I’ll give them a call this weekend. I don’t know what is going to happen. We’ll talk to the Republicans. But as of now, I plan on moving forward with all of our subpoenas,” Comer said.
Bondi’s abrupt fall from grace was partially fueled by her missteps during the Epstein investigation, and now she’s ducking what could be the toughest questions of her career. Her firing raises new questions about Trump’s motives — was it a simple personnel shakeup, or a calculated move to protect himself from potential fallout if Bondi testified?
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday he would leave the matter to Comer and the committee.
