Former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified today before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door transcribed interview, and the Democrat outrage machine immediately went into overdrive.
Bondi spent more than 3.5 hours testifying behind closed doors Friday before the House Oversight Committee as lawmakers grilled her over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files.
The appearance came as Bondi continues recovering from thyroid cancer, with a visible bandage on her throat as she arrived on Capitol Hill.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi arrived on Capitol Hill on Friday to testify before a House committee about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
She faced more than a year of criticism for her handling of the Department of Justice’s Epstein probe, and the rollout of… pic.twitter.com/oRywTTfrWO
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 29, 2026
Democrats on the committee are spinning Bondi’s straightforward explanation of standard Department of Justice procedure as her “pushing all the Epstein file blame” onto Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) claimed Bondi continues to push all of the investigation and the blame on Acting AG Todd Blanche.
“This part of the interview shows that she continues to push responsibility for the investigation—and the blame—onto Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. She said, and I quote, ‘Acting AG Blanche was managing the entire investigation.’
What you’re going to hear in that interview, and in her remarks here, is that she is saying Todd Blanche, the current Acting Attorney General, was leading the Epstein investigation. Quite frankly, all of the mistakes we saw—the redactions, the failure to protect survivors, and other issues—she continues to push back onto Acting AG Todd Blanche.”
WATCH:
.@RepRobertGarcia (D-CA) outside former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s deposition in Epstein probe: “She continues to push all of the investigation and the blame on Acting AG Todd Blanche.” pic.twitter.com/cqDuXUTbZs
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 29, 2026
Bondi quickly shot down the claim.
In a statement posted to X following the testimony, Bondi directly denied that she was blaming Blanche.
“NOT TRUE,” Bondi wrote.
“I praised Acting AG Blanche’s management of this Herculean task. I said his ethics are beyond reproach and that he is an incredible Attorney General.”
NOT TRUE.
I praised Acting AG Blanche’s management of this Herculean task. I said his ethics are beyond reproach and that he is an incredible Attorney General. https://t.co/vuzw32KC3k
— Pam Bondi (@PamBondi) May 29, 2026
Bondi opened her testimony by making clear she delegated oversight of the massive Epstein files review and release process to then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — now the Acting AG.
Here’s what Bondi actually said in her opening statement, according to Fox News:
“Before we start today, I want to reiterate what I have said many times regarding the Department’s handling during my tenure as Attorney General of the voluminous materials that are now commonly known as the Epstein Files,” she told the committee, according to the document.
“I am proud of the Department’s record and commitment to transparency under my leadership. We demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to transparency in the Department’s search for, collection, and review of the Epstein files, producing nearly 3 million pages of material, including thousands of videos and hundreds of thousands of images”
“To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Our diligent and good faith effort to collect materials ensured that all potentially responsive documents that could be reasonably located would see the light of day.”
“All Department components were directed to submit any potentially responsive records, resulting in a comprehensive review of millions of documents. As the head of a large Department with broad responsibilities, I did not lead every aspect of this effort or conduct that document review myself. I delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.”
Jim Hᴏft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016.
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