2 months ago
Democrats connected nan House oversight committee walked retired of a closed-door briefing from lawyer wide Pam Bondi astir nan Jeffrey Epstein files connected Wednesday, leaving what California congressman Robert Garcia called “an outrageous clone hearing” aft Bondi refused to perpetrate to honoring a lawsuit to attest nether oath.
The committee voted to lawsuit Bondi earlier this month, pinch 5 Republicans joining Democrats to request that nan lawyer wide reply questions astir nan justness department’s nonaccomplishment to decently merchandise files from nan national investigations into Epstein.
Bondi and lawman lawyer wide Todd Blanche went to Capitol Hill connected Wednesday to effort to quell bipartisan vexation complete nan justness department’s handling of millions of files related to Epstein’s activity trafficking investigation. But little than an hr into nan briefing, Democrats walked retired successful protestation of nan arrangement.
Speaking extracurricular nan proceeding room, Florida congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost said: “We asked her aggregate times, are you going to travel and speak pinch america nether oath? She would not opportunity yes. Filibuster, filibuster, filibuster, would not opportunity yes.”
“Our Republican colleagues say: ‘Is this not enough? Why don’t you want to speak to her now?’ We want her nether oath because we do not spot her. Why don’t we spot her? Because she’s a liar,” Frost added. “Look astatine really that judiciary committee went. She was spying connected members of Congress erstwhile they were successful nan DoJ looking astatine nan documents unredacted … Look astatine what she’s done, arsenic acold arsenic not putting documents related to Donald Trump connected nan website.”
Pennsylvania congresswoman Summer Lee said that erstwhile she asked really nan committee would respond if Bondi refused to testify, nan Republican chair of nan committee, James Comer, insulted her by accusing her of “bitching”.
Comer later confirmed nan relationship successful a societal media post: “I said Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone’s clip because Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone’s time.”
Justice section leaders had hoped nan merchandise of documents tied to nan disgraced financier would put an extremity to a governmental saga that has dogged nan president’s 2nd term, but nan agency remains consumed by questions and disapproval complete Epstein’s lawsuit and its guidance of nan files.
Bondi has defended nan department’s handling of nan files and has accused Democrats of utilizing nan furor complete nan documents to distract from nan US president’s governmental successes, moreover though immoderate of nan astir vocal disapproval has travel from members of Trump’s ain party.
The section has besides sought to guarantee lawmakers and nan nationalist that location has been nary effort to shield Trump, who says he trim ties pinch Epstein years agone aft an earlier friendship, aliases immoderate different high-profile figures adjacent to Epstein from imaginable embarrassment.
The documents were disclosed nether nan Epstein Files Transparency Act, nan rule enacted aft months of nationalist and governmental unit that requires nan authorities to unfastened its files connected nan precocious financier and his confidant and girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Criminal investigations into nan financier person agelong animated online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and others who person suspected authorities cover-ups and clamored for a afloat accounting.
