Bondi blames Blanche for Epstein issues during House panel: Democrats

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday met with members of the House Oversight Committee as part of their probe into the Epstein Files, during which she largely blamed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the DOJ's shortcomings on the issue, according to Democrats.

Trump fired Bondi earlier this year, elevating Blanche to the position of acting attorney general. He has not named a permanent replacement. The House panel subpoenaed Bondi over the Epstein files before her termination and later negotiated her voluntary appearance. 

During the Friday interview, she reportedly blamed Blanche for the DOJ's handling of the Epstein matter and refused to answer many questions. Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., told reporters that she blamed Blanche repeatedly and refused to discuss President Donald Trump's role.

“What you are going to hear in that interview, and what she’s saying here in her words and remarks is that it was Todd Blanche, the current acting AG, that was leading the Epstein investigation, and quite frankly, all of the mistakes that we saw, the redactions not protecting survivors, she continues to push that back on to the acting AG, Todd Blanche,” he said, according to The Hill.

Bondi initially attracted scrutiny for her handling of the Epstein matter in 2025, when she organized a botch PR stunt that involved distributing largely public information to a group of influencers.

She later faced scrutiny from lawmakers after President Donald Trump signed a law forcing the release of the files over her DOJ's slow release pace.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.