Bondi ordered by House committee to testify on Epstein probe

Chris Strohm and Jimmy Jenkins, Bloomberg News on Mar 17, 2026

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WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee ordered U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear for a deposition on the U.S. Justice Department’s handling of the investigation and release of files related to sex trafficking by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The panel’s Republican chairman, James Comer of Kentucky, said in a letter to Bondi that the committee was reviewing her “possible mismanagement” of the investigation.

Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a child for prostitution, died in jail in 2019 awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His former girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

According to Comer’s letter, the committee also is interested in “the ways in which Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell sought to curry favor and exercise influence to protect their illegal activities” and “potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.”

The deposition is scheduled for April 14, according to Comer’s letter.

The department said the subpoena “is completely unnecessary.”

“Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress,” the department said in a statement.

Bondi “continues to have calls and meetings with members of Congress on the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” according to the statement.

Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will provide members of the committee a private briefing on Wednesday, Comer said.

Comer said the committee may use the results of the deposition in federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and to reform the use of non-prosecution and plea agreements.

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