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Former Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi failed to appear for a deposition before Congress about the Epstein files on Tuesday (April 14). And members of the House Oversight Committee indicate they are not going to let her skate. In fact, they also are targeting Todd Blanche, her interim replacement. That comes as one congressional Democrat claims President Donald Trump fired Bondi to keep her from testifying -- and that suggests Bondi's failure to appear was coordinated with the White House.
Meanwhile, the widely read legal website Above the Law adds some levity to the proceedings by theorizing that Bondi's excuse for not appearing might be: "The dog ate my subpoena." Author/lawyer Kathryn Rubino went on to make light of Bondi's claim that being fired as attorney general freed her from obligations to testify before Congress -- adding some colorful language in the process, apparently to emphasize the absurdity of Bondi's stance:
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice (DOJ) said, “Because of the leadership transition at the Department, the subpoena no longer applies.”
Which, I guess if you never ask, the answer is always no. But, let’s be f-----g for real right now: That argument is about as persuasive as a toddler claiming bedtime “no longer applies” because they changed into different pajamas.
Unsurprisingly, the committee is not buying what DOJ is selling at the clearance rack of accountability — they’ve already confirmed they’ll reach out to her personal attorney. “The Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General,” a spokeswoman for Oversight Republicans said in a statement. “The Committee will contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition.”
History teaches that anything involving the Trump administration and the rule of law tends to turn into a circus. That appears to be happening with the Bondi subpoena, according to a report yesterday at MS NOW under the headline "After Bondi skips testimony, top Oversight Democrat warns interim AG: You're next; 'We will hold Pam Bondi accountable. She must comply,' Rep. Robert Garcia said during an appearance on MS NOW. 'And believe me, Todd Blanche is next.'" Allison Detzel reports:
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi could face possible contempt charges after she failed to appear before lawmakers Tuesday to testify about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, a top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee said. During an interview on MS NOW’s “The Weeknight,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California also issued a warning for Bondi’s interim replacement: You’re next.
“She had a subpoena in place to show up today,” Garcia said hours after Bondi was set to give her deposition. He added, “Just because she’s not the attorney general right now, that’s no excuse for her not to come in.”
Last week, the Justice Department said Bondi would not comply with the subpoena, arguing that it no longer applied since it was issued in her official capacity as attorney general.
“She was the mastermind of this White House cover-up,” Garcia said, adding that her failure to appear is “grounds for contempt.”
The California Democrat said the House Oversight Committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., had been in contact with Bondi’s private attorney and told Democrats he was attempting to reschedule the hearing.
“Let’s reschedule it — and if we don’t hear back in the next couple of days, we’re going to begin the contempt proceeding,” Garcia said. “It has to happen. People have to be held accountable for the laws that we pass in the Congress and the subpoenas that we put in place.”
Garcia indicated the scrutiny will not end with Bondi. He already is eyeballing her interim replacement, Detzel reports:
When asked about the possibility of issuing a subpoena for the interim attorney general, Todd Blanche, Garcia told the co-hosts of “The Weeknight” that, at the moment, Democrats on the committee did not have the votes to compel him to testify.
In his role as deputy attorney general, Blanche had “been very involved in the Epstein investigation,” Garcia said.
However, the House Democrat said he was optimistic that Blanche, who was previously a personal attorney for Trump, would be called before the committee eventually, noting that Democrats “successfully forced Republicans to get multiple subpoenas while in the minority.”
“So we have an absolute plan on getting Todd Blanche to come in front of our committee. He has to come testify,” he said.
While Garcia said Blanche’s testimony was important, he stressed that Bondi should not be let “off the hook.”
What about the claim that Trump might have fired Bondi because he wanted to keep her from testifying under oath about what she had seen in the Epstein files. That comes from Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), per a jointly published report at The Hill and AOL. Under the headline "Moulton: Trump got rid of Bondi 12 days before Epstein deposition," Fiona Bork writes:
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) has suggested that President Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi to prevent her from testifying in the House probe related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“She was about to be deposed in the Epstein case,” Moulton said in an interview with MS NOW’s Chris Jansing. “That’s why Trump got rid of her 12 days before that was supposed to happen.”
Trump announced earlier that day on Truth Social that Bondi would transition to a new job in the private sector. He thanked the former top prosecutor for doing a “tremendous job” in the role during her tenure.
Trump added that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, also one of his former personal lawyers, would lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the interim.
Bondi has been under intense fire from both sides of the political aisle for her alleged efforts to engage in a cover-up of documents from the Epstein files that might prove damaging to the president. Bork writes:
Bondi has received criticism from Democrats and Republicans in Congress for her handling of the administration’s investigation into Epstein and the DOJ’s release of files tied to him — which include correspondence between Epstein and a slew of high-ranking political figures.
After the president signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, the department released more than 3 million documents to the public with heavy redactions. While many lawmakers were able to view the unredacted files, critics have pressed for more transparency in the case.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, including five Republicans, voted to subpoena Bondi in March to force her to testify on the Trump administration’s handling of the files.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democrat on the panel, wrote in a statement: “Oversight Democrats have been leading serious investigations into Bondi and Secretary Kristi Noem. “If they think we are moving on because they were fired, they are gravely mistaken.”
As for Seth Moulton, he is well aware that Trump and his enablers often try to skirt the law, and he expects them to act true to form now. Bork writes:
Moulton, responding to a question on whether Garcia could still expect Bondi to testify, said they “can probably try to hold her accountable to the law.” But, he added, “We all know this administration is not accountable to the law.”
“So, I expect Trump to do everything he can come up with to try to get her out of testifying because it could be embarrassing to her,” the Massachusetts Democrat said.
Moulton also slammed Blanche for his involvement with the Epstein case. In July, the now-acting attorney general spearheaded talks with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence. She was later quietly moved to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas.
“[Trump has] put in place someone who did a sweetheart deal for him with regards to Epstein,” Moulton told Jansing. “The guy who went down and interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell and got her out of a maximum security prison, got her all sorts of favors that criminals like her are not afforded, all because she’s willing to do favors for the president of the United States and help cover up his biggest political liability.”
Blanche, however, has pushed back on the notion that Trump ousted Bondi over the Epstein case.
“I have never heard President Trump say anything that the attorney general was — that anything that happened to her had anything to do with the Epstein files,” he told Fox News’s Jesse Watters.
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