On April 8, 2026, the Department of Justice told Congress that Pam Bondi will not appear for her upcoming deposition in the House Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation — arguing that she was subpoenaed as Attorney General, and since Trump fired her, the subpoena no longer applies.
Assistant AG Patrick D. Davis wrote to House Oversight Chairman James Comer: “Ms. Bondi no longer holds that office. As a result, the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear on April 14. We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn.”
The bipartisan response was immediate and forceful. Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who led the subpoena effort: “Pam Bondi cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds the office of Attorney General. Our motion to subpoena Pam Bondi was for Bondi by name, not by title.” Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia: “Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not. If she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice.”
The timing demands scrutiny. Bondi was fired on April 2. The deposition was scheduled for April 14. The DOJ's letter uses the firing — which happened 12 days before the deposition — as the legal basis for refusing to comply. Whether or not the firing was designed to shield Bondi from sworn testimony, it is now being used for exactly that purpose.
Acting AG Todd Blanche — Trump's personal defense lawyer who interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell and arranged her sweetheart prison transfer — said he would leave the matter “to Chairman Comer and others to figure out.”
The woman who received a $25,000 illegal donation from Trump in 2013, dropped the investigation, climbed the loyalty ladder to Attorney General, delivered “binders of nothingness” on Epstein, got fired — and is now using the firing to avoid testifying under oath about what she did with the Epstein files. Five Republicans joined Democrats to subpoena her. The DOJ is trying to make that subpoena disappear.