Democrats stormed out of a secret briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi after they’d “f---ing had it” with her evasiveness on the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had arrived on Capitol Hill to meet with the House Oversight Committee following a bipartisan outcry over the department’s handling of the investigative files related to the late sex offender.
Committee Chair Rep. James Comer of Kentucky had told committee members a day earlier that Bondi would brief the members Wednesday evening, but they weren’t told the format or provided any details, Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona said in a video posted to X.
A few hours before the meeting, they learned they would be allowed to ask Bondi questions for three minutes each, but she wasn’t under oath, and the meeting wasn’t recorded or transcribed, Ansari said.
Several Democrats used their time to ask if Bondi planned to appear for a subpoena issued by the committee and testify under oath, to which Bondi replied ambiguously that she would “follow the law.”
Democratic Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania then asked Comer if he planned to ensure that Bondi would testify, and if not, what steps he would take.
“You wasted three minutes of everybody’s time kind of b---hing,” Comer replied, to audible gasps in the room, CNN reported.
“That’s when we all just f---king had it and walked out,” Ansari said. “This is unacceptable, and I look forward to seeing Pam Bondi on April 14.”
She also accused Bondi and Blanche of trying to pull “the most insane bulls--t.”
The briefing continued with just Republicans, according to CNN.
Asked by reporters afterward whether she would comply with the subpoena, Bondi reiterated, “I made it crystal clear I will follow the law.”
Comer said he “didn’t see any reason for her to do a deposition,” despite his committee voting 24-19 for her to appear. Five Republicans joined Democrats to vote in favor of the subpoena.
“We want her under oath because we do not trust her,” Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost told the AP after the briefing.
Speaking to Axios, Lee said she had introduced impeachment articles against Bondi, whom she accused of “obstructing justice.”
Rep. Robert Garcia of California also threatened to hold Bondi in contempt if she doesn’t respond to the subpoena.
“It’s outrageous and infuriating and it continues this White House coverup of the Epstein files,” he said.
President Donald Trump was close friends with Epstein for more than a decade and lobbied Congress for months not to release the files. He has denied having any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s crimes at the time.
After several Republicans defected to force a vote on The Epstein Files Transparency Act, the president ended his opposition and the law passed nearly unanimously in November.
Lawmakers and victims, however, say the DOJ is withholding millions of documents, and have criticized heavy redactions in the files that were published.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the DOJ for comment.
