DOJ says House Oversight subpoena 'no longer obligates' Bondi testimony in Epstein matter

On April 14, 2026, former Attorney General Pam Bondi did not appear for a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee. The deposition had been compelled by a subpoena the committee approved in March 2026 on a bipartisan 24-19 vote — a motion by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, joined by Reps. Lauren Boebert, Michael Cloud, Scott Perry, and Tim Burchett and all committee Democrats — as part of the panel's investigation into the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The non-appearance was foreshadowed by an April 8, 2026 letter from Assistant Attorney General Patrick D. Davis to Oversight Chairman James Comer. Davis argued that because the subpoena was addressed to Bondi "in her official capacity as Attorney General" — a role she no longer held after President Trump removed her from office and installed Todd Blanche as acting attorney general — she "no longer can testify in her official capacity" and "the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear on April 14." The Department asked the committee to confirm the subpoena was withdrawn. Pressed at a news conference, Acting Attorney General Blanche declined to rule out asserting privilege over Bondi's testimony.

The committee disputed the Department's theory that a subpoena attaches to an office rather than a person. Chairman Comer did not withdraw the subpoena, and Ranking Member Robert Garcia said Bondi "must come in to testify immediately," while Rep. Mace publicly urged Comer to "hold the line." On April 29, 2026, Garcia and all committee Democrats filed a resolution to hold Bondi in civil contempt of Congress, asserting that the subpoena "remains legally binding, even after Bondi was fired." The same day — 45 minutes after the contempt resolution was filed — committee Republicans announced that Bondi would appear for testimony on May 29, 2026, indicating the dispute moved toward a negotiated appearance rather than immediate court enforcement. Any contempt proceedings or that subsequent appearance fall outside this entry, which records the executive branch's April 14 refusal to honor a lawful, bipartisan congressional subpoena.