Democrats: Pam Bondi Still Faces Congress Subpoena Over Epstein Files Despite Removal as Attorney General

Pam Bondi's ouster as attorney general is not ending the political fight over the Epstein files. House Democrats are arguing that her removal from the Justice Department does not erase a subpoena already issued by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which ordered Bondi to sit for a deposition on April 14 about the department's handling of the case and its release of Epstein records.

The committee's March 17 cover letter, signed by Chairman James Comer, says Bondi was subpoenaed after the panel voted on March 4 to compel her testimony.

The subpoena fight had already become one of the most volatile flashpoints in Washington before President Donald Trump pushed Bondi out on Thursday. Washington insiders say that the Epstein files had become a source of bipartisan frustration, with critics accusing the Justice Department of delays, heavy redactions, and a lack of transparency.

The Oversight Committee's own records show this was not a symbolic step. In the March 17 letter, the committee told Bondi it was examining possible mismanagement of the federal investigation into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death, and whether the Justice Department had complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The letter states plainly that Bondi was being ordered to appear for a deposition and cites House rules giving the committee authority to require witness attendance and testimony.

Democrats have been especially forceful in arguing that Bondi remains on the hook. In a March 4 statement, Oversight Democrats said the committee had secured a subpoena for Bondi after all Democrats, joined by five Republicans, backed a motion offered by Rep. Nancy Mace. That same statement said Bondi had already failed to comply with an earlier bipartisan subpoena issued in August 2025 for the complete, unredacted Epstein files. In a later February statement, Democratic members again accused the Justice Department of withholding material and demanded compliance with the committee's subpoena.

That bipartisan piece matters, underscoring how the Epstein issue has cut across party lines and left Bondi exposed not only to Democratic attacks but also to anger from parts of the GOP base.

What is still not fully settled in public is how committee leaders will enforce the subpoena now that Bondi is out of office. The subpoena was directed to Bondi personally, not just to the office of attorney general, which suggests the fight is not automatically over. But any next step would likely depend on whether the committee presses ahead, negotiates new terms, or moves toward contempt proceedings. For now, the cleanest fact is also the most politically explosive one: Bondi may be gone from the Justice Department, but the demand for sworn testimony about the Epstein files is still very much alive.