All posts tagged "pam bondi"

Todd Blanche's Senate confirmation fight may expose Epstein coverup: expert

President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, his former personal lawyer Todd Blanche, and his upcoming Senate confirmation hearing could reveal more about his efforts to conceal the Epstein files and backfire on his nomination, a former White House insider explained on Monday.

Bill Kristol, the editor at large for The Bulwark and a former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle, described how senators who will vote to confirm Blanche as the nation's next top law enforcement official will ultimately have to face off over Jeffrey Epstein and Blanche's role in the cover-up.

"There are many, many Republican lawyers in America," Kristol wrote. "Many, sadly, are also pro-Trump. But it is Todd Blanche who has been selected by the president to be attorney general of the United States. He has this distinction: He is the prime orchestrator and key executor of the Trump administration’s Jeffrey Epstein coverup."

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified to the House Oversight Committee on May 29, saying Blanche “supervised [the] entire process” of overseeing the Epstein files.

"He was leading the Epstein matter and the release of everything from the beginning," Bondi said in her testimony.

Questions have surrounded Blanche and his visit to Epstein co-conspirator and former partner to the late financier, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell has been pushing for clemency as a condition of her testimony to Congress.

"Blanche has also been the most visible public defender of the coverup, and of the decision not to investigate or prosecute anyone else for crimes," Kristol wrote.

After the files were released, no follow-up investigations have been underway.

"But thanks to Trump’s nomination of Blanche, there is a chance to force a real public debate, with real Senate votes, on the Epstein coverup," Kristol explains.

"That is not what Blanche wants. In early April, shortly after becoming acting attorney general, Blanche told Fox News, 'And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward,'" Kristol wrote.

And that doesn't mean senators will not question him about it.

"But the Epstein coverup should be part, a key part, of one thing going forward: It should be a key part of the upcoming debate on Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general," Kristol wrote. "The Blanche confirmation fight can bring the Epstein coverup back into the spotlight this summer. His nomination can be turned into a referendum on the coverup by the Trump administration, and by the entire political class, of Epstein and his co-conspirators and clients."

"The vote on Blanche can become, it should become, a vote on Epstein," Kristol further added.

'It's disastrous': Expert warns Pam Bondi just put Todd Blanche in legal jeopardy

The Epstein files and Pam Bondi's testimony released on Thursday could come back to haunt Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as he approaches his Senate confirmation hearing process, a legal expert said.

During a live broadcast with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig noted that Bondi, who served as the former attorney general until she was fired by President Donald Trump in April, told lawmakers that Blanche was overseeing the release of the Epstein files and could come under further scrutiny because of her comments.

"It has to be a big problem for Todd Blanche, Jake, because there's nothing good in this whole mess of the Epstein files, legally or politically," Honig said.

"And if you look at today's transcript, Pam Bondi truly does Todd Blanche no favors," Honig explained. "And I don't think she's trying to hurt him."

He argued that Bondi was making an effort during the closed-door testimony with the House Oversight Committee to "praise Todd Blanche's skill and ethics and his handling of this whole process."

"But the bottom line is it's disastrous," Honig added. "Todd Blanche was in charge. Pam Bondi makes that clear: the process that resulted in the release of victims' names, the process that resulted in the improper redaction of wrongdoers' names, and a process that was chaotic, overdue, and satisfied no one. And there's no way for Blanche to get out of that. It's actually surprising when you read the transcript how little Bondi knew about what was going on. This seems like it was a complete delegation, and you can bet this will come up in a big way when Todd Blanche goes in front of the Senate for his confirmation hearings."

5 standout moments from Pam Bondi's testimony on the Jeffrey Epstein files

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi's testimony with the House Oversight Committee was released on Thursday, revealing new details about the Department of Justice's rollout of the Epstein files.

Bondi was interviewed by House lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week and responded to questions about criticisms of how the department handled the release of documents and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators.

Here are five things to know about Bondi's testimony.

1. Bondi claimed she did not know about a document where Epstein’s 10 co-conspirators are listed.

Lawmakers showed Bondi an email from the 2019 Epstein case in the Southern District of New York and asked her to comment.

At one point, Bondi's attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Justice Department, told the lawmakers, "She's not going to answer that."

"I don't recall ever reviewing this document, so I don't know who's in it, and that came from the FBI New York," Bondi said.

2. Bondi blamed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the release of the Epstein files.

Bondi said that Blanche was responsible for overseeing the Department of Justice's release of the documents and materials.

“He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files," Bondi said.

She also said he briefed her on the case as soon as she joined the DOJ as attorney general in January 2025.

3. She claimed Blanche interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell because no one from the DOJ had interviewed her about Epstein.

"I believe Deputy Attorney General, now-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, has said on several occasions that Epstein, by that time, was dead and no one had taken — had made an effort to interview Ghislaine Maxwell to see if she had evidence of co-conspirators and other crimes, and that was why he interviewed her," Bondi said.

She said she did not recall how the interview was prompted or whether Maxwell reached out first.

"I believe — I don't believe who initiated it. If she reached out to us, I believe — I don't want to speculate, but I believe Deputy Attorney General Blanche, at the time, reached out to them because there was someone, still living, in prison, who had potential information about other co-conspirators and crimes," Bondi said.

4. Bondi did not confirm if Blanche had knowledge of Maxwell's prison relocation.

"He may, and I'm not sure if he'd addressed that publicly. Probably. But transferring a prisoner is the decision of the Bureau of Prisons," Bondi said.

5. Bondi does not think Maxwell should be pardoned by President Donald Trump.

"I believe she should die in prison," Bondi said.

"She was a monster, just like Jeffrey Epstein," Bondi added. "She recruited these young women to a life of prostitution and abuse. And I often think the women that do that are just as bad, if not worse, than the men, because she participated in it."

House Oversight Committee releases Pam Bondi's Epstein testimony

The House Oversight Committee released on Thursday the full transcript of former Attorney General Pam Bondi's closed-door testimony last week, showing that Bondi was aiming to move away from the Department of Justice's handling of the release of the Epstein files.

The transcript also revealed that she told lawmakers that Todd Blanche, her former deputy attorney general and current Trump nominee for attorney general, was responsible for overseeing the Epstein files, CNN reported.

“He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files,” Bondi said.

Lawmakers asked Bondi why the additional 3 million documents had not been publicly released yet following the first batch of 3 million files. She said the DOJ was not withholding other documents and argued remaining files were "either duplicates or privileged materials, despite bipartisan criticism that Trump’s Justice Department has withheld or overreacted to documents, while accidentally sharing information of Epstein’s victims," according to CNN.

"To my knowledge, they’ve all been released," Bondi said.

She told the congressional leaders that any questions surrounding further documents should be directed to FBI Director Kash Patel.

President Donald Trump fired Bondi from her position as attorney general in April. She and the department had faced mounting backlash over the release of the Epstein files and the rollout of the documents, which included names and personal information of survivors.

DOJ's 'intimidation' against groups that discipline bad lawyers alarms experts

The Department of Justice is trying to intimidate bar associations, which license and oversee lawyers, and legal experts are sounding the alarm.

Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche "has been trying to intimidate state bars across the country and local bars," warned Adam Klasfeld, a legal journalist, in an episode of the Legal AF podcast. Blanche was hit with a bar complaint earlier this week for launching an investigation into Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

The DOJ, under Blanche's leadership, sued the D.C. Bar earlier this month and tried to strip state bars of the jurisdiction involving DOJ lawyers, Klasfeld said. The moves are part of a "campaign of intimidation," Klasfeld went on, worried that it could have a "chilling effect" on bars nationwide.

Klasfeld was speaking to Michael Klaw, the communications director for the Campaign for Accountability, the group that filed the bar complaint against Blanche. Klaw said the chilling effect is visible on bar associations.

"We can certainly say that we see a noticeable difference between how bars have been acting in the first year of the second Trump administration versus how they were acting previously," Klaw said. "There's sort of a bullying, chilling effect."

The intimidation started before Blanche took over the DOJ, Klaw explained. Under former U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi, the DOJ instituted a policy of "not cooperating with bar investigations," he said.

"They've only doubled down on that since," Klaw said. "Time will tell whether this is successful on their part to intimidate the bars further, but it's certainly concerning to see them trying."

Republicans en masse skip Bondi's closed-door Epstein hearing

House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) was apparently the only Republican lawmaker attending the interview with former Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday, MS NOW reported.

Sources told MS NOW that the atmosphere in the room was tense as Bondi appeared frustrated over the questions during the closed-door, transcribed interview with lawmakers as they continued their investigation into late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) commented that Republicans had skipped the Bondi interview — and called them out.

"I want to point out there's not a single Republican in the room besides the chairman [Comer]," Stansbury said, adding, "For a supposed group of individuals who care deeply about justice for the survivors, not a single one could be bothered to travel across the country today."

"It's sort of a curious fact of today's closed door transcribed interview, because the thing that set this all in motion was the fact that the Oversight Committee back in March had voted to subpoena Pam Bondi when she was still attorney general," MS NOW Congressional reporter Mychael Schnell told anchor Chris Jansing.

"And the reason why it was successful was because there were five Republicans who crossed ranks and joined that effort make putting it over the finish line, which was a stunning, stunning move considering the fact that President Trump, on a number of occasions has tried to push back on the Epstein files and the investigation overall, whether or not you know why they're not here today, as you mentioned, James Comer is here," Schnell said. "We did hear from him earlier. It's worth noting that currently Congress is out of session. They're on recess. So members are back home in their districts. Of course, that doesn't take away from the fact that they could have come into town for such an important interview. So certainly an interesting fact here as we go through the motions of this transcribed interview. But certainly Comer said that he was going to be asking Pam Bondi all the questions that the survivors had raised, including about redactions, withholding and Ghislaine Maxwell's prison sentence."

Bondi's comments had prompted questions over whether the committee would subpoena Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who at the time was Bondi's deputy, and current FBI Director Kash Patel, Jansing said.

But that could be difficult to do, said MS NOW Senior Legal Reporter Lisa Rubin, and Republicans could have deliberately chosen not to show up.

"Certainly it would be hard for the committee today to vote on a subpoena like that because they don't have the votes," Rubin explained.

"Chairman Comer would have to be the one to initiate that vote, but also authorize the subpoena," Rubin said. "And I think that this today, the transcribed interview was conveniently scheduled in a way that many Republicans would not be there, meaning they gave the Democrats the interview that they were seeking after having subpoenaed Pam Bondi. But they set it up at a time where she would not be subject to hard questions from members of her own party."

There could be more questioning to come for both Blanche and Patel, Rubin added.

"In terms of Todd Blanche and Kash Patel, those are absolutely people to whom these questions should be directed," Rubin said. "And I have to say this may be inconvenient for some of the Democrats, but it was absolutely predictable and intelligible, legally, that Pam Bondi would say that she could not discuss her conversations with the president. That is something that is protected by executive privilege."

'He is already so radioactive': Blanche damaged by Bondi testimony

During coverage of the ongoing House Oversight Committee meeting interview with Pam Bondi, The New York Times' Peter Baker claimed there are probably good reasons for the fired attorney general to place all the blame on the man who now sits in her office over the botched release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

With MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian joking earlier, “Look, those of us in Washington may have heard the sound of a large bus driving over a large object about an hour ago. And that was Pam Bondi throwing her former deputy, Todd Blanche, now the acting attorney general, under that bus, proverbially.”

Baker was asked what he thinks is at play.

“She's demonstrating that she remains loyal to the president who fired her, pushed her out. But at the same time, not to the deputy that was foisted on her in the first place, who clearly, you know, she's willing to throw under the bus,” he told MS NOW host Ali Vitali.

He then added, “Now, that may be perfectly good politics in the sense that Todd Blanche is probably already so radioactive that there's no chance he could be confirmed by the Senate to the attorney general position in a permanent sense. That $1.8 billion fund for Trump's allies by itself probably makes him unconfirmable on top of many other things people might have concerns about. But, you know, she's not willing to, you know, break with the president. She is still in his orbit in that sense, which is fascinating.”

- YouTube youtu.be

Pam Bondi asked directly about Trump in Epstein interview – and DOJ attorney ‘intervened’

The Justice Department’s (DOJ) botched release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein was front and center Friday during ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi’s interview with the House Oversight Committee, during which, a DOJ attorney "intervened" to stop Bondi from answering a direct question about President Donald Trump, one Democratic lawmaker claimed.

Bondi agreed to appear for a closed-door interview with members of the Oversight Committee over the DOJ’s handling of Epstein-related files – around half of which remain unpublished, which critics have claimed to be unlawful. However, she previously defied a congressional subpoena to testify under oath. As such, she faces no legal risk for providing false statements.

Even so, Trump’s DOJ apparently felt compelled to stop her from answering certain questions about Trump, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), a member of the Oversight Committee, claimed just outside the interview room.

“She has been asked multiple times about the Trump administration, about her conversations with the president,” Stansbury said.

“When asked specifically about a conversation with Donald Trump, one of the DOJ attorneys intervened and said she did not have to answer the question because it was a voluntary interview, and said, quote, ‘we don’t even have to assert privilege,’ and, quote, ‘we refuse to provide answers.’”

Other Democratic members of the Oversight Committee similarly condemned Bondi’s performance. Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) called the interview a “ridiculous charade,” and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) referred to it as “disgusting.”

Stansbury also noted that other than Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the Oversight Committee chair, no other Republicans participated in the closed-door interview, sparking even more fury from the New Mexico Democrat.

“That means that the DOJ is intervening on behalf of Pam Bondi to stop her from answering questions about what happened in the cover-up in this case, and her conversations with Donald Trump,” Stansbury said.

“This is a cover-up! This will be remembered as the largest cover-up likely in American history, and it is clear that this interview is a smokescreen to try to show the American people that they are complying while they are not,” Stansbury added.

The Epstein cover-up continues. This is what’s happening in the room ⬇️ #ReleaseTheFiles pic.twitter.com/N7brgr7g5R
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) May 29, 2026

James Comer sweats as he's cornered by Epstein survivors before Pam Bondi grilling

Three Epstein survivors confronted Rep. James Comer (R-KY) in a moment that made the GOP lawmaker visibly uncomfortable, just minutes before a closed-door interview with former Attorney General Pam Bondi was set to question her on Friday about deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

As Comer was taking questions from the press, he was forced to respond to the victims who were on Capitol Hill before the House Oversight Committee meeting. The closed-door interview was not videotaped but was expected to focus on the "sloppy rollout of the Epstein files," MS NOW anchor Ali Vitali reported.

"In a remarkable moment just a short time ago, a group of Epstein survivors peppered oversight committee Chair James Comer with their own questions ahead of Bondi's session," Vitali said.

"These people cannot be brought in under transcribed interviews. Can you ensure that they would please be brought in under oath?" Sharlene Rochard, an Epstein survivor, asked Comer.

The chairman of the committee seemed surprised by the line of questioning.

"If you lie to Congress, it's a felony," Comer said. "So it's, you know, we're bringing them in. We're bringing people in that have never been brought in before."

"Survivors' names over and over and over were exposed," Liz Stein, Epstein survivor, told Comer. "Yet we see time and time again, perpetrators names have been redacted when they shouldn't have been. Are we going to get some answers?"

Comer responded.

"I hope so, those are the questions we're going to ask," he said. "And you know, we're doing this. We want justice for the survivors."

Vitali commented on the moment.

"Stunning to see them confront Comer themselves," Vitali added.

Pam Bondi hit with damning ethics complaint accusing her of running DOJ 'like a weapon'

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was hit with a "damning" ethics complaint on Wednesday, according to reports.

The complaint was filed by several legal groups — Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Democracy Defenders Fund, and Lawyers for the Rule of Law — against the ousted Trump administration member with the Florida Bar Association. The complaint urged an investigation into allegations of misconduct during her time leading the Department of Justice, where about 2,500 attorneys left the DOJ.

"She ran DOJ like a weapon — & now 100+ scholars, retired judges & retired FL Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince — joined by @democracydefendersfund.org @ldadorg.bsky.social & LFRL — are holding her accountable," Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund & co-founder of The Contrarian Substack, wrote in a post on Bluesky.

The complaint specifically cites the Epstein files and the DOJ's delayed release.

"Among the new apparent violations highlighted in the complaint are Ms. Bondi's apparent violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including her ability to supervise subordinate officers in their review and release of the files," according to the complaint.

The complaint cites the release of more than 100 survivors' identifications and personal information.

“The Department of Justice’s release, redaction, withholding, and messaging related to the Epstein files, which Ms. Bondi both participated in directly and oversaw as Attorney General, has been fundamentally flawed from the beginning,” the complaint said.