Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has intensified pressure on Republican chairman James Comer to pursue contempt of Congress proceedings against former Attorney General Pam Bondi after she failed to appear for a scheduled deposition on the Epstein files despite having been subpoenaed to testify.
In a letter to Comer following Bondi’s no-show, Garcia was direct about the next steps he believes are required. “Any attempt to evade the subpoena must be met with measures to hold Ms. Bondi in contempt of Congress,” he wrote.
The subpoena was issued following a bipartisan committee vote, with several Republicans — including Lauren Boebert, Tim Burchett, Michael Cloud, Nancy Mace and Scott Perry — crossing party lines to support the measure, reflecting the unusually cross-partisan character of the demand for answers on the Epstein file disclosures.
Bondi’s non-appearance followed her dismissal from the attorney general role by Trump in early April, and the Department of Justice subsequently took the position that the subpoena had effectively lapsed as a consequence of that departure.
“The Department of Justice remains committed to working cooperatively with the Committee, but its subpoena to former AG Bondi was in her official capacity as Attorney General,” a DOJ spokesperson said. “Because of the leadership transition at the Department, the subpoena no longer applies.”
Garcia rejected that reading outright. “The subpoena issued to Ms. Bondi requires her to appear for a deposition, regardless of her departure from DOJ,” he wrote.
Republican committee member Nancy Mace, who has been vocal about her desire for full Epstein file transparency, backed that position. “Bondi’s removal as Attorney General doesn’t erase her obligation to testify and does not end Congressional oversight,” Mace said. “The American people deserve to know whether Congress was misled and whether information about Jeffrey Epstein and his associates is being withheld.”
The DOJ has released millions of pages of Epstein-related records but has faced persistent criticism over the pace of disclosures, heavy redactions and failures to protect victims’ identities in certain documents. Committee chair Comer had written to Bondi and the DOJ in March stating there remained “questions regarding the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”
Beyond Bondi, the committee has been building a broader list of witnesses, with billionaire Les Wexner, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton all having received invitations to provide information, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates confirmed to testify in a June 10 hearing about his relationship with Epstein.
Contempt of Congress is a federal misdemeanor carrying a potential fine of up to $100,000 and up to twelve months in jail, and Garcia ended his letter to Comer by calling for a specific deposition date to be scheduled and for transparency around the negotiations to secure one.
