The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department’s handling of records related to Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes as lawmakers continue to question whether all files connected to the Epstein investigation have been properly released to the public.
The vote highlights growing bipartisan concerns about transparency in the Epstein case and whether key documents may still be withheld.
House Oversight Committee Approves Subpoena
The House Oversight Committee voted 24–19 on Wednesday to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about how the Justice Department handled Epstein-related records.
The motion was introduced by Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Five Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the subpoena. Those Republicans were:
- Nancy Mace (South Carolina)
- Tim Burchett (Tennessee)
- Lauren Boebert (Colorado)
- Michael Cloud (Texas)
- Scott Perry (Pennsylvania)
The Justice Department has not yet issued an official response to the subpoena vote.
Justice Department Addresses Missing Epstein Files
On the same day, the Justice Department acknowledged that tens of thousands of Epstein-related files are currently offline.
Officials said the documents are temporarily unavailable as the department works through redaction and privacy issues.
The department expects to resolve these issues by the end of the week before reposting the documents.
However, critics say the missing files raise questions about whether the government has fully complied with transparency laws.
Lawmakers Question Epstein File Releases
Representative Nancy Mace has publicly challenged the Justice Department’s claims that all Epstein-related records have been released.
She said the department has not fully disclosed the complete set of documents connected to the case.
Mace described the Epstein investigation as one of the largest alleged cover-ups in American history.
According to her statement:
- More than 3 million documents have been released so far
- Additional videos, audio recordings, and logs may still exist
- Millions of documents may remain undisclosed
She argued that Congress needs answers about why some records remain unavailable.
Bondi Expected to Testify Before Oversight Committee
Mace said the subpoena will require Bondi to appear before the Oversight Committee for closed-door testimony.
The session will be recorded, and the video is expected to be released publicly afterward.
A date for the testimony has not yet been scheduled.
Mace also noted that Bondi previously testified before the House Judiciary Committee but has not yet appeared before the Oversight Committee.
She said lawmakers still have many unanswered questions about the department’s handling of the Epstein investigation.
Justice Department Defends Its Work
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing last month, Bondi defended the Justice Department’s efforts to release Epstein-related records.
She said hundreds of attorneys and legal reviewers worked for thousands of hours examining millions of pages of documents.
According to Bondi, the department released:
| Released Material | Amount |
|---|---|
| Documents | Over 3 million pages |
| Images | About 180,000 |
Bondi said the department tried to balance transparency with the need to protect victims involved in the case.
Epstein Files Transparency Act and Ongoing Disputes
The release of the documents follows the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), which Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law in November.
The law required the Justice Department to publicly release most Epstein investigation files within 30 days.
However, some documents were withheld.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said roughly 3 million additional documents remain undisclosed.
Some were withheld due to:
- Attorney-client privilege
- Work-product doctrine
- Internal government deliberations
- Court-sealed records
Blanche also said some documents are duplicates or written in foreign languages.
Lawmakers Claim Law Is Being Violated
Some lawmakers argue that withholding documents may violate the transparency law.
Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, who co-authored the legislation, said the law requires the Justice Department to release internal communications related to decisions about investigating or charging Epstein and his associates.
They believe the department must provide more records to Congress.
The Oversight Committee previously subpoenaed the Justice Department for Epstein-related files, but lawmakers say they received only about 30,000 documents, many of which were already public.
Concerns Over Redactions and Missing Documents
Critics have also raised concerns about heavy redactions in the documents that have been released.
Some lawmakers and Epstein survivors say key information about possible accomplices has been blacked out.
At the same time, they claim some details about victims were not properly protected.
The Justice Department has also faced criticism for repeatedly removing some documents from online archives.
Officials say those files were taken offline temporarily for additional review.
As of Monday, the department reported that 47,635 files were offline and undergoing further redaction.
Controversy Over Allegations Mentioned in Files
Some of the missing documents include summaries and notes from interviews conducted by the FBI with a woman who claimed to be an Epstein victim.
According to reports, she also made sexual abuse allegations against Donald Trump during those interviews.
It remains unclear whether those allegations appeared in other interviews that were not released.
The White House previously dismissed the claims as false and politically motivated.
Officials said the allegations were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election and were investigated without any evidence supporting them.
Trump has not been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
The president has previously said he stopped associating with Epstein in the early 2000s after deciding he did not trust him.
