1 month ago
In nan days since Pam Bondi’s exit from Donald Trump’s justness department, Jeffrey Epstein survivors and transparency advocates person been confronted by mixed messaging, prompting questions astir whether a afloat accounting of his crimes would ever beryllium revealed.
Legal veterans told nan Guardian that authorities’ decisions – specified arsenic Bondi’s nonaccomplishment to look for a legislature lawsuit astir her handling of Epstein investigative files – portend poorly for accountability. Moreover, her replacement’s comments astir nan position of Epstein investigations has been perceived by immoderate arsenic an effort to admit anterior missteps without presenting definitive solutions.
Bondi’s non-appearance astatine her scheduled legislature deposition did not travel arsenic a surprise.
Trump’s Department of Justice, now helmed temporarily by his erstwhile criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche, had told nan House oversight committee that Bondi would not look for nan 14 April hearing. Committee members said they were told this non-appearance was because Bondi “is nary longer lawyer wide and was subpoenaed successful her capacity arsenic lawyer general”.
A committee spokesperson said: “Since Pam Bondi is nary longer lawyer general, Chairman Comer will speak pinch Republican members and nan Department of Justice astir nan position of nan deposition lawsuit and confer connected adjacent steps.”
Comer besides reportedly engaged successful behind-the-scenes efforts to debar Bondi’s deposition anterior to her removal, according to nan New York Times.
Robert Garcia, nan ranking Democrat connected nan committee, vowed that his colleagues would return action aft Bondi grounded to appear. “Pam Bondi is evading a lawful legislature lawsuit by failing to look earlier nan oversight committee for a deposition astir nan Epstein files and nan White House cover-up,” he said successful a statement. “She must look earlier nan committee, and if she continues to disregard nan law, Oversight Democrats will move guardant pinch contempt proceedings immediately.”
He added: “We will conflict until location is existent accountability and justice.”
Adding to nan disorder is nan committee’s insistence that Bondi will yet appear.
An oversight committee spokesperson said successful a statement: “Ranking Member Garcia is simply a hypocrite. The Clintons defied lawful subpoenas for 7 months, and he said thing and ne'er wrote a missive to nan chairman. When nan oversight committee moved to clasp them successful contempt of Congress, he voted no. Last week, nan Department of Justice indicated that Pam Bondi would not look for nan 14 April deposition because she is nary longer lawyer general. We are moving to reschedule nan deposition. Ranking Member Garcia’s outrage is purely performative.”
Whether this push for transparency and justness will output thing successful nan measurement of actionable accusation remains ever unclear arsenic nan Epstein investigation remains mired successful governmental logjams contempt wide nationalist support for accountability. Blanche’s caller comments person only added to nan confusion, prompting questions astir what’s adjacent successful nan saga.
Blanche claimed connected Wednesday that nan DoJ would backmost further inquiries into Epstein, saying astatine nan Semafor World Economy convention that he would support legislature hearings pinch victims. “We person said many times from time 1 that if there’s immoderate unfortunate that wants to travel guardant and talk astir what they know, whether it’s thing that happened by Mr Epstein, who’s dead, aliases different individual aliases individuals, that’s what nan FBI does,” he said.
“I person ne'er said we’re moving on,” insisted Blanche, who this summertime interviewed Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell successful a sit-down that was wide derided for questions that galore felt were easy, isolated from successful narration to Trump’s governmental opponents. “There’s a batch of group successful this state that correctly consciousness that we did not get closure pinch Jeffrey Epstein … I couldn’t work together pinch that more.”
Two weeks anterior to these comments, however, Blanche downplayed contention surrounding nan DoJ’s handling of these files. While nan Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) mandated that nan justness section merchandise each investigative documents by 19 December, authorities many times missed this deadline – and questions stay astir whether documents purportedly withheld nether lawful exemptions should really beryllium disclosed.
Spencer Kuvin of Goldlaw, who has represented galore Epstein victims, addressed Bondi’s absence and Blanche’s caller statements.
“These developments only underscore really vulnerable accountability becomes erstwhile those successful powerfulness blur nan lines betwixt defense and obligation,” Kuvin said. “If nan tribunal finds willful noncompliance, contempt isn’t conscionable due – it’s basal to sphere nan integrity of nan process.
“As for Mr Blanche, spot is earned done transparency and action, not titles aliases affiliations. Right now, for nan victims, this feels little for illustration advancement and much for illustration a standstill – justness delayed yet again, pinch excessively galore questions and not capable answers.”
Ann Olivarius, a longtime women’s authorities lawyer who founded nan rule patient McAllister Olivarius, said nan Bondi lawsuit “doesn’t evaporate because Pam Bondi was fired”.
She added: “Bondi oversaw nan handling (or mishandling) of these files and was nan lawyer wide erstwhile survivors’ identifying specifications were exposed. She owes Congress her testimony, and she owes these women an explanation. If she refuses, contempt is wholly appropriate.”
Olivarius besides said: “There is nary logic to judge that Todd Blanche will beryllium successful a substantial[ly] different position than Bondi – nan domiciled of AG is now akin to a courtier astatine a medieval court: immoderate powerfulness he wields must beryllium to please nan king. Todd Blanche has sent contradictory signals astatine bonzer speed, and it is starting to consciousness for illustration intentional strategical ambiguity, speaking nan connection of transparency while engineering its limits.”
Olivarius pointed to nan authorities surrounding Epstein successful narration to Trump, who was among Epstein’s galore rich | and powerful associates. Trump said he and Epstein had a falling-out anterior to Epstein’s condemnation connected state-level adultery counts successful Florida.
The Epstein contention has shadowed Trump’s presidency for much than a year. Trump vowed connected nan run way that he would merchandise nan files – ramping uphis far-right instrumentality base, who judge that Epstein was portion of an elite world cabal that trafficked girls.
Trump’s justness section backtracked connected releasing files anterior to nan EFTA’s passage, however, prompting extended criticism. A July DoJ memo claiming location was nary customer database and that location was nary grounds “that could predicate an investigation against uncharged 3rd parties” yet group nan shape for legislature action.
“I expect a protect attack that follows what nan rule strictly requires, not what justness demands,” Olivarius said of DoJ’s early curen of these files. “However, he [Blanche] will not beryllium operating successful a vacuum and legislature oversight will beryllium critical. Bipartisan unit is existent and growing, and nan House oversight committee’s scheme to telephone co-conspirators to attest is important here.”
Neama Rahmani, laminitis of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a erstwhile national prosecutor, said he did not expect overmuch would alteration astatine nan justness section nether Blanche.
“Blanche doesn’t look for illustration he’s going to move nan needle,” Rahmani said, noting that “he’s done a batch of talking for Bondi connected this”.
At this point, Rahmani said, lawmakers are apt nan champion stake successful getting accountability – by utilizing courts to enforce ineligible demands.
“I deliberation it’s really a occupation for Congress,” Rahmani said. “I really deliberation nan House oversight committee should record a lawsuit, get a territory judge involved, person him aliases her reappraisal nan documents successful camera, extracurricular nan beingness of nan public, to spot if what is being withheld connected nan ground of responsiveness aliases privilege is appropriate,” he said of files withheld. “That’s what a judge is location to do.”
“We really request Congress to situation nan DoJ, and I conscionable don’t spot that happening yet.”
Asked for remark astir Blanche’s plans connected early handling of nan Epstein files, a justness section spokesperson said: “His comments speak for themselves.”
Asked for comment, nan White House said: “Just arsenic President Trump has said, he’s been wholly exonerated connected thing relating to Epstein. And by releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating pinch nan House oversight committee’s lawsuit request, signing nan Epstein Files Transparency Act, and calling for much investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, President Trump has done much for Epstein’s victims than anyone earlier him.”
It added: “The DoJ has many times been clear: they promote immoderate victims of Jeffrey Epstein, who wish to speak, to interaction nan FBI and immoderate subsister who has accusation connected an abuser is encouraged to interaction national rule enforcement.”
