By Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before a House of Representatives panel on Wednesday, where lawmakers are expected to press her on the Justice
Department’s handling of files involving the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee comes as lawmakers, including some Republicans, have expressed frustration with the amount of Epstein material the department has redacted and withheld despite a federal law requiring the release of nearly all files.
The Justice Department released what it called a final tranche of more than 3 million pages of documents late last month, drawing renewed attention to wealthy and powerful individuals who maintained ties with Epstein even after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
But lawmakers have complained that redactions in the files appear to go beyond the limited exemptions allowed for in a law Congress passed nearly unanimously in November. The department has also declined to publish a large volume of material, citing legal privileges.
The Epstein files have dogged Bondi throughout her tenure as President Donald Trump’s attorney general. The Justice Department’s decision last summer to initially not release further material sparked a furious reaction from some of Trump’s online supporters and drew new scrutiny to Trump’s past friendship with Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The Justice Department has argued that it has been transparent in its review of documents and redactions have been necessary to protect Epstein’s victims, though some victims’ names were made public as part of the release.
Bondi’s appearance before the Republican-controlled panel will be an opportunity to defend her leadership of the Justice Department, which has been overhauled to align with Trump and his agenda.
The department’s tradition of independence in criminal investigations has eroded as it has pursued investigations into Trump’s political adversaries and aligned with his grievances. It unsuccessfully sought to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, two officials who led investigations into Trump.
The DOJ is appealing a judge’s decision throwing out both cases.
FBI agents seized 2020 election ballots in Georgia last month as investigators pursued Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Bondi is also likely to face questions about the Justice Department’s involvement in Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis has come under immense strain as DOJ defends scores of immigration cases and prosecutes people accused of interfering with federal agents.
The Justice Department has sidelined its civil rights unit as it declined to investigate the killing of Renee Good by a federal agent and opened a limited investigation into the fatal shooting of another demonstrator, Alex Pretti.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Stephen Coates)
