President Donald Trump’s former attorney general, Pam Bondi, is at the center of a fresh partisan fight after the House Oversight Committee released the transcript of her closed‑door interview about the Jeffrey Epstein files. The clash exposes deep divisions over how Trump’s Justice Department handled millions of pages of sensitive records and who should be held accountable as Congress weighs Trump’s pick for attorney general. Epstein victims, their advocates, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are watching closely to see whether Bondi’s testimony complicates Todd Blanche’s confirmation and prompts new demands for transparency or further hearings.

In the newly released transcript, Bondi repeatedly insists that Blanche—Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department and the acting attorney general at the time—was “in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files.” She also claims the department has already released all responsive documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, arguing that the remaining 3 million records are either duplicates or privileged material. Democrats say that stance contradicts Bondi’s past public comments and minimizes the department’s botched redactions, which exposed victims’ information, while Republicans argue the transcript shows she praised Blanche’s ethics and leadership rather than blaming him. The dispute has quickly spilled onto social media, with Oversight Democrats and Republicans trading posts over whether Bondi misled the public—or whether her critics misrepresented what she said.

Why did Pam Bondi testify before the House Oversight Committee?

Bondi appeared before the House Oversight Committee after months of negotiations and a bipartisan subpoena compelling her testimony about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files. Lawmakers wanted to know why roughly half of the 6 million documents covered by the Epstein Files Transparency Act had not yet been released, and who was responsible for the redactions that mistakenly exposed victims’ information. Bondi told members that Blanche oversaw the process and that she believed all responsive documents had been made available, while the rest were duplicates or privileged materials. Her refusal to discuss conversations with Trump—both before and after he became president—fueled suspicions among Democrats that key decisions were being shielded behind claims of executive and attorney‑client privilege.

Pam Bondi testimony: Full transcript [embed]

The full transcript of Bondi’s interview shows her trying to walk a careful line between defending the department and distancing herself from operational decisions. At one point, she clarifies that unresponsive and privileged documents are not in the DOJ’s “Reading Room,” despite earlier suggesting all 6 million files were accessible there. She also pushes back on claims from Representative Robert Garcia that she “threw Todd Blanche under the bus,” insisting instead that Blanche is “one of the most highly ethical individuals” she knows and that he managed the Epstein investigation with “very little error.”

“Todd Blanche is one of the most highly ethical individuals I know, and I think he is making an incredible Acting Attorney General…" says the transcript. "Todd did an excellent job, in my opinion, and is doing an excellent job as our Attorney General. I’m not blaming anything on Todd.”

Democrats, however, argue that Bondi’s repeated statements that Blanche was “in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files” amount to placing responsibility squarely on him—contradicting her public claim that Garcia was lying about her testimony. That tension is now driving calls for Blanche to testify about the redactions, the pace of document production, and his interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell.

When were the Epstein files released?

Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Justice Department has been compelled to release millions of pages of records related to Jeffrey Epstein, his co‑conspirators, and associated investigations. Bondi told lawmakers that approximately 3 million files have already been made public, with another 3 million still under review. The initial waves of releases began under her tenure as attorney general, after Trump returned to the White House and Congress demanded greater transparency about Epstein’s network and the government’s handling of his case. Those releases have come in batches, often accompanied by controversy over what was disclosed, what remained sealed, and whether the department was moving quickly enough to comply with the law.

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