Democrats seek to impeach Pam Bondi after ‘fake’ Epstein briefing – National
Congressman for California Robert Garcia likened the closed-door briefing to an “outrageous fake hearing” after Bondi said she would not adhere to a subpoena requiring her to testify under oath.
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went to Capitol Hill to try to quell bipartisan frustration over the Justice Department’s handling of millions of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation after the House Oversight Committee, made up of both Democrats and Republicans, voted to subpoena her earlier this month.
Five Republicans on the committee sided with Democrats to support the subpoena for Bondi to appear for a deposition on April 14.
On Tuesday, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee introduced articles of impeachment against Bondi, outlining several alleged offences, including “defiance of the Oversight Committee’s subpoena to release the full, unredacted Epstein files, defiance of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, abuse of investigatory and prosecutorial authority, defiance of federal court orders, and perjury in congressional testimony,” she said in a .
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About an hour into Wednesday’s hearing, a group of Democrats walked out in protest and said they would push to enforce the subpoena instead.
“We want her under oath because we do not trust her,” Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.
AP Photo/Tom Brenner
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Bondi said, “I made it crystal clear I will follow the law.”
Despite consensus between both parties that her department botched the handling of the release of the files, Republicans have accused Democrats of using them as a pawn in a political game to undermine the authority of the ruling party.
“This, for us, for the Republicans, it’s about getting answers,” Rep. James Comer, Republican chair of the committee, said after the briefing.
“For the Democrats, it’s a political game, and they just demonstrated that today. There’s no reason for them to walk out and clutch their pearls and act like they were offended and outraged.”
Bondi has also accused Democrats of using the furor over the documents to distract from President Donald Trump’s political successes, even though some of the most vocal criticism has come from members of the president’s own party.
The Trump administration has been releasing the Epstein files since December 2025, with the unsealing of millions of documents in January, but has faced a swell of criticism over its failure to conceal identifying information about Epstein’s victims.
Democrats have also accused the party of making heavy redactions pertaining to alleged abusers and of withholding potential evidence that could imply criminal wrongdoing on Trump’s part.
The department has sought to assure lawmakers and the public that there has been no effort to shield President Donald Trump, who says he cut ties with Epstein years ago after an earlier friendship, and has never been charged with a crime in relation to the case.
Wednesday’s exchange comes weeks after Bondi faced questions from lawmakers over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files. She was accused in that hearing by Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of lying under oath after he shared an unverified FBI witness statement from Trump’s former driver, who said he met a girl who told him she was raped by Trump and Epstein.
Bondi received some of the toughest questioning from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky lawmaker who broke with his party to advance legislation that forced the release of the Epstein case files.
Massie took Bondi to task for the release of victims’ personal information, telling her, “Literally the worst thing you could do to survivors, you did.”
He also questioned why more men seemingly connected to Epstein’s abuse are not under investigation.
— With files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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