Pam Bondi to finally appear before House panel over Epstein files release

The former attorney general Pam Bondi will appear before the US House oversight and reform committee on Friday morning to answer questions about the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and its release of the Epstein files under her leadership. The committee announced in late April that Bondi would be appearing before the panel as part of its investigation into Epstein, shortly after Democrats on the committee filed a civil contempt resolution against her. Bondi’s appearance comes as the justice department has faced criticism in recent months over its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, after the department failed to meet the act’s 19 December deadline to release the relevant files, instead releasing what it claimed were the full files on 31 January. Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have also raised concerns that sensitive personal information was improperly disclosed in the files, while several lawmakers have also criticized some of the redactions in the documents. The department has maintained that it acted in accordance with the law. Bondi was formally subpoenaed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the committee in March, while she was still serving as attorney general. …