Pam Bondi Won't Testify To House Committee Investigating Jeffrey Epstein Next Week, Says Justice Department

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Former Attorney General Pam Bondi won't testify in front of the House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein, the US Department of Justice said on Wednesday. According to the DOJ, Bondi will not appear for the deposition, scheduled next week, as she is no longer the US Attorney General.

The House Oversight Committee had subpoenaed Bondi on 17 March to testify as part of an investigation into the DOJ's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases.

Why did Trump fire Bondi?

Donald Trump fired Bondi as the US Attorney General on April 2, after just over a year in office.

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While no explanation was given for her removal, reports said that Trump was becoming increasingly frustrated with Bondi over several issues, including the DOJ's delay in the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and her struggles to successfully prosecute the president's political rivals, including Letitia James and James Comey. Some have also argued that her subpoena by the House Oversight Committee in the Epstein case also expedited Bondi's departure.

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Bondi was a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused of abusing his power as he tried to condition US military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden."

She also showed her loyalty by attending Trump's New York trial for paying hush money to porn actor Stormy Daniels, with whom he allegedly had an affair.

But according to a New York Times report, Trump was disappointed with "Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which has become a political liability for Trump among his supporters. He has also complained about her shortcomings as a communicator and vented about what he sees as the Department of Justice's lack of aggressiveness in going after his foes."

The president has long indicated that whoever served as attorney general in his administration should see themselves as his lawyer rather than as someone representing the US government.

'Only Trump knows'

On Tuesday, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said nobody other than President Trump knows why Bondi was replaced.

Also Read | Who is Todd Blanche? Trump replaces Pam Bondi as US Attorney General

“Nobody has any idea why the attorney general is no longer the attorney general, and I'm the acting attorney general, except for President Trump,” Blanche said.

Blanche, who was, until now, the deputy attorney general, said he did not feel "pressure" in the job despite Trump's well-publicized desire for retribution.

He also said that the president was entitled to seek investigations against former government officials he believes have wronged him.

“We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now. And it is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president in the past has had issues with and believes should be investigated. That is his right, and indeed it is his duty to do that," Blanche said.

Bondi have to appears, say Democrats

Democrats on the committee said Bondi had to appear regardless of her firing.

“Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not,” Representative Robert Garcia, the top-ranking Democrat on the committee said in a statement.“She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress.”

Key Takeaways

Pam Bondi's removal as Attorney General highlights the tensions between political loyalty and legal accountability. The House Oversight Committee's insistence on Bondi's testimony signals ongoing scrutiny of the DOJ's handling of high-profile cases. Trump's influence over his appointees raises concerns about the independence of the Justice Department.

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