Bandaged Bondi refuses to answer questions about The Don’s Epstein files…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veteran Lawyer Commonplace Pam Bondi refused to answer questions Friday on President Donald Trump’s involvement within the liberate of the Jeffrey Epstein case files as she defended the Trump administration’s actions earlier than House lawmakers scrutinizing the system.

Bondi, who spent roughly four hours on Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, was again defiant when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. In her opening statement, she stood within the encourage of the Department of Justice’s handling of the case files and said that Deputy Lawyer Commonplace Todd Blanche, now the performing prison professional new and Trump’s dilapidated deepest prison professional, had overseen the system to post them.

“The underside line is: justice and transparency in this topic have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration,” she said, per her opening statement.

Bondi’s transcribed interview presented lawmakers with a possibility to request of a Cupboard reputable who was central to the political firestorm over Epstein that at cases has rattled Trump’s Republican administration. She at the foundation raised expectations for the plump liberate of the Epstein case files, only to later backtrack. That reversal precipitated Congress to step in and breeze the legislation requiring the liberate.

However Democratic lawmakers said that Bondi told them she would no longer talk about the president within the interview and, consulting with a lawyer from the Department of Justice, said that she would possibly presumably maybe also decline these questions because she agreed to look earlier than the committee voluntarily.

“It’s a sham in there,” said Democratic Rep. Dave Min of California real through a smash within the interview. “They are no longer answering any questions.”

Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia said he requested Bondi whether Trump had any files of Epstein’s crimes earlier than they grew to change into public. Reading from his notes of the switch, Walkinshaw told newshounds that Bondi’s response was, “I’m no longer optimistic of the extent of his files.”

Epstein killed himself in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls. Trump was company with Epstein within the Nineties and early 2000s however has said he gash ties with him years earlier than Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida recount costs in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Survivors tried to confront Bondi

Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse gathered originate air the Capitol space of industrial the keep the interview was taking space. They tried to form their presence identified to Bondi as she entered the room, however several said they were shoved aside by police officers.

“I factual hope that she does have a 2nd the keep she remembers her have humanity and our humanity and finds her compassion and remembers that here’s a a lot bigger story than political rhetoric,” said Danielle Bensky, one of many survivors.

The survivors also implored lawmakers to wait on Bondi guilty for the handling of the Epstein case files’ liberate, which included the deepest knowledge of doable victims.

They confronted the committee chair, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, and he told them that he would press for the total liberate of case files mandated by legislation.

“We want justice for the survivors, we assemble,” Comer added.

Bondi told lawmakers in her opening statement that releasing the Epstein case files was “an tremendously advanced and labor-intensive assignment” and conceded that the Justice Department had made redaction errors. However she largely defended the department’s work, announcing that it had complied with the legislation and demonstrated “an extra special commitment to transparency.”

Even after being ousted as prison professional new final month, Bondi has stayed at some level of the Republican president’s orbit.

Trump appointed Bondi, who revealed this week that she is being handled for thyroid cancer, to a White House panel on synthetic intelligence this week, and she was be accompanied Friday by Justice Department officers, in conjunction with Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department’s Civil Rights Division, performing as her counsel.

Democrats called that plan a conflict of ardour.

Dhillon told newshounds after the interview that she had been there to “inform the interests of the Department of Justice” because Bondi was answering questions about her time as prison professional new. She said she had educated Bondi to easily reply questions that were interior “the bottom guidelines laid with the committee” and no longer on other subject matters.

Interview was no longer videoed

Friday’s interview was only the most popular clash between Bondi and Democrats.

Bondi was subpoenaed by the committee in March in a bipartisan vote, however she tried to head off that request of by preserving a closed-door meeting with lawmakers. The maneuver only added to the enmity between her and Democrats on the committee.

Bondi’s departure from the Justice Department also raised doubts about the enforcement of the congressional subpoena. After the committee’s Democrats maneuvered to press for a civil contempt of Congress resolution against Bondi, she agreed to sit down for a transcribed interview rather then a sworn deposition.

Democrats on the Oversight panel criticized that plan, announcing it allowed Bondi to decline to answer questions. They also objected to Comer’s possibility no longer to video the interview.

“We proceed to be incredibly upset of the possibility to no longer have this interview videotaped after which released to the American public,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the tip Democrat on the panel.

Comer has said he allowed Bondi to sit down for a transcribed interview rather then a deposition as an incentive to cooperate. Beforehand, he had enforced a subpoena on dilapidated President Bill Clinton and dilapidated Secretary of Order Hillary Clinton after they resisted the request of. Both of their depositions were video-recorded.

Comer said that Bondi would possibly presumably maybe also face prosecution if she lies to Congress and that the committee would liberate a transcript of the interview.

Meanwhile, Democrats urged they would possibly presumably well also quiet press to implement the subpoena for Bondi. They also said they wished to subpoena Blanche. Both actions would want Republican enhance.

“It’s crucial that we proceed to take care of this stress on them,” said Democratic Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

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Related Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this file.

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Divulge the AP’s protection of the Jeffrey Epstein case at https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein.