Rep. Jasmine Crockett says Democrats will push to hold Pam Bondi in 'contempt of Congress'

Democrats will push to hold former Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress after failing to appear for a scheduled deposition for her testimony in the investigation of the federal government’s handling of the probe into Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) on Tuesday said Bondi defied a lawful subpoena for her testimony to the House Oversight Committee, which was grounds enough to hold her in contempt. While the Department of Justice had previously said the subpoena wasn't applicable as Bondi was fired from her post, Crockett said her title did not matter, and the survivors deserve answers from her. 

Bondi, who was fired by President Donald Trump, was issued a bipartisan subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee to testify in the long-running investigation into Epstein's probe. She was scheduled to appear before the committee on April 14, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) said last week that the subpoena no longer applied to her as it was issued when Bondi was still the Attorney General, NBC News reported. However, Rep. Crockett argued that she was bound to testify anyway.  “Pam Bondi refused to show up for today’s Oversight deposition — defying our lawful subpoena,” Crockett wrote on social platform X. 

This comes after a White House spokesperson stated that Bondi’s personal counsel had to be contacted to discuss next steps regarding her deposition, as she had lost her title.  However, Crockett said her title didn't matter. "We couldn’t care less that she was fired from her job as Attorney General. She is responsible for leading the White House cover-up of the Epstein files. Since she didn’t show up, Oversight Democrats will move to hold her in contempt of Congress," Crockett wrote. She added that that the survivors deserve answers from her and they will get them. 

Bondi and the DOJ faced criticism from lawmakers across the spectrum for the delayed release of the files related to Epstein's case, despite a law compelling the department to make them publicly available. The survivors of the illegal operations of the late sex offender further slammed the DOJ for redacting crucial information, including the names of individuals connected to Epstein, and protecting certain individuals.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, also expressed  that the former attorney general “is evading a lawful congressional subpoena” by refusing to testify about the case and the alleged  "White House cover-up.” “This subpoena applies to her regardless of her title,” he wrote in his statement. “She must appear before the committee, and if she continues to ignore the law, Oversight Democrats will move forward with contempt proceedings immediately. We will fight until there is true accountability and justice," his statement further noted. 

Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable by fines of up to $100,000 or a year in jail. Previously, top Trump aides, Steve Banon and Peter Navarro, were both held in contempt of Congress in 2021 and 2023, respectively, and served time in prison after failing to testify to a congressional committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to The Independent.