Pam Bondi points the finger at Todd Blanche over 30 times in Epstein testimony 

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi wasted no time shifting responsibility to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, then deputy and now Trump's pick to lead the Justice Department (DOJ) on a permanent basis, during her congressional testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, categorically stating that Blanche was "at the wheel" of the massive Epstein files document review. She also revealed that Blanche briefed her on the Epstein matter when she took office.

The 111-page transcript of Bondi's May 29 interview was released Thursday. She appeared before committee chairman James Comer (R-KY) and ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), alongside Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), among other Democrats. The testimony stood out for how much Bondi declined to answer directly, invoking executive privilege over conversations with President Donald Trump, and saying she "did not recall" on a significant number of questions.

Bondi washed her hands of the joint DOJ-FBI statement claiming there was no evidence that Epstein kept a client list. She attributed it entirely to Blanche while also suggesting that he initiated an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker, because "there was someone, still living, in prison, who had potential information about other co-conspirators and crimes." The 60-year-old defended the interview even when pressed on why Blanche spent significant time interviewing Maxwell while ignoring other key figures close to Epstein.

Maxwell was transferred to a plush minimum security prison following her interview with Blanche. Bondi said that she came to know of it through the media, and when asked if the acting AG had a role to play in it, she directed the committee to the Bureau of Prisons rather than Blanche for answers on the transfer itself. She, however, did not dispute that Blanche was the relevant DOJ figure involved in decisions around Maxwell.

The transcribed testimony attached Blanche's name to nearly every critical decision: the document redactions, the botched release, the unusual Maxwell interview, and her transfer to a lower-security prison. The former Attorney General repeatedly pinned accountability onto Blanche while declining to answer questions herself. In other words, Bondi effectively made him the central figure in what Democrats are calling a cover-up, and the pressure is now on the Acting Attorney General to either explain or deny his role under oath.

Major takeaways from Pam Bondi's closed-door testimony

Bondi, in her opening statement, defended the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, claiming that only under Trump were federal prosecutors permitted to pursue Epstein and Maxwell. She revealed that the Justice Department (DOJ) had fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and released all the documents, and that "justice and transparency have been delivered at the direction of President Trump."

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) asked if there was an effort within the administration to search the Epstein files specifically for Trump's name. Bondi declined to discuss internal DOJ discussions. However, she acknowledged that Trump's name was searched and said it was among many high-profile names searched, that she did not direct it, and that the resulting list was ultimately released publicly.

Stansbury went through a list of prominent names associated with Epstein, including Leon Black and Glenn Dubin, asking whether any investigations were open during Bondi's tenure. Bondi refused to confirm or deny pending investigations into any of them, repeatedly directing questions to Jay Clayton or Blanche. She also said that she was not briefed on whether any prominent figures, including the President, were being investigated.

The former AG acknowledged there were errors in the document release, including cases where a reviewer working long hours failed to save redactions properly. But she clarified that Blanche addressed those errors. When questioned about interview summaries of a woman who accused both Epstein and Trump of sexual misconduct, Bondi said three of the four interview summaries were initially withheld and only released on March 5 after being "incorrectly coded as duplicative," and held Blanche accountable for it.

Democrats have asked for both Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel to appear before the committee following Bondi's testimony. In their letter to Comer, they alleged that the duo "were directly involved in the cover-up of the Epstein files and the botched release of documents, which re-victimized survivors and made a mockery of our Justice Department." Garcia pointed out that a closed-door, off-the-record briefing will not suffice for either of these officials.