House Oversight Panel Votes to Subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi Over Epstein Files

A contentious vote in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has set the stage for a high-profile clash over the Justice Department’s handling of records tied to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

In a 24–19 vote on Wednesday, the committee approved a subpoena compelling Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about the Justice Department’s release of documents related to the Epstein investigation. The effort was led by Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina.

Mace’s motion gained support from several fellow Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas, and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, according to CNN. Democrats on the committee joined those Republicans to secure enough votes to move the subpoena forward, despite opposition from the remaining Republican members.

Before the vote took place, Committee Chairman James Comer had indicated that Bondi planned to provide private briefings to small groups of lawmakers. However, members ultimately chose to pursue a formal subpoena to ensure public accountability and direct questioning before the committee.

Mace has been outspoken about what she believes are serious unanswered questions surrounding the Epstein case and the Justice Department’s document releases.

In a post on X, Mace said, “Bondi claims the DOJ has released all of the Epstein files. The record is clear: they have not.”

“The Epstein case is one of the greatest cover-ups in American history. His global sex trafficking network is larger than what is being revealed,” she wrote.

Mace continued by arguing that the public still lacks access to key information.

“Three million documents have been released, and we still don’t have the full truth. Videos are missing. Audio is missing. Logs are missing. There are millions more documents out there,” she wrote.

“We want to know why the DOJ is more focused on shielding the powerful than delivering justice. The American people deserve answers, victims deserve justice. HOLD. THE. LINE,” Mace posted.

Democrats on the committee also supported hearing directly from Bondi. Rep. Robert Garcia of California said the attorney general should answer questions about transparency and the ongoing document disclosures.

“The attorney general has gone to speak, obviously, to other committees,” Garcia said, according to CBS News.

“I think it’s important that she is in front of our committee. She can directly answer questions about the release of the files, about transparency, about ensuring that victims and survivors are protected.”

Bondi previously defended the Justice Department’s work in releasing Epstein-related materials during testimony last month before the House Judiciary Committee.

“More than 500 attorneys and reviewers spent thousands of hours painstakingly reviewing millions of pages to comply with Congress’s law. We’ve released more than 3 million pages, including 180,000 images, all to the public, while doing our very best in the time frame allotted by the legislation to protect victims,” Bondi said then, according to NBC News.

Meanwhile, the Oversight Committee signaled that its investigation may expand beyond government officials. On Tuesday, the panel announced that Microsoft founder Bill Gates is among several individuals invited to participate in transcribed interviews as lawmakers continue examining Epstein’s network and the handling of related evidence.

With questions still lingering about the full scope of Epstein’s operations and the individuals connected to them, the committee’s move suggests the investigation is far from over.