Bondi says Blanche was in charge of Epstein files release

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi deflected questions about her role in the Justice Department's handling of files related to the investigations of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during her interview last week with the House Oversight Committee, according to a transcript of the session released Thursday.

She instead directed many of the lawmakers’ questions to now acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, saying that she had delegated the disclosure of millions of records to him and that he was “in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files.â€

“Todd Blanche oversaw the entire investigation,†Bondi said in one of her responses. 

Trump tapped Blanche to serve as acting attorney general after ousting Bondi from the role and said earlier this week he intends to formally nominate Blanche to serve as the nation's top prosecutor. 

Following the transcript's release, California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight committee, called on the GOP-led panel to bring Blanche in for questioning as part of its investigation.

An inquiry made by Spectrum News to the office of committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., about whether Blanche would be asked to appear, as well as a request for comment, made to the Justice Department was not immediately returned.

“Over 34-35 times, she said go ask Todd Blanche,†Garcia told reporters Thursday, adding, “I'm glad the transcript is out. It should have been videotaped, but I think it's clear that Bondi is blaming Blanche for the entire thing.â€

Discussions about the setup of Bondi's May 29 interview — including that it was transcribed and not recorded on camera — took place after her previously scheduled appearance before the committee in April was canceled.  

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon and several other DOJ prosecutors joined Bondi at her interview last week. Dhillon told lawmakers that she was present solely to represent the Justice Department and its interests in complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in November.

Bondi declined to answer questions about conversations she had with Trump and said she was not aware of any effort to scan the massive trove of records for the president's name — or that of any other official — prior to the files' release.

She also referred questions about whether a number of high-profile individuals had been under investigation during her tenure to Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton. Bondi noted that Clayton had launched a probe “into any other crimes committed as a result of the Epstein files,” but said she was not aware whether that had concluded.

An inquiry made to the U.S. attorney's office in New York about the status of the investigation was not immediately returned. 

Democrats also asked Bondi about a July 2019 email that appeared to be from an FBI investigator and seemed to indicate the Justice Department was previously investigating 10 unnamed “co-conspirators†of Ghislaine Maxwell, questioning whether she would name those being probed. 

The former attorney general said she had not been aware of the email at the time, as it originated from New York officials. 

Several questions also focused on Maxwell's transfer to a Texas prison camp after Blanche interviewed her at the Florida prison where she previously was being held. Bondi said she read about Maxwell’s move afterward.

“I had nothing to do with that. I don’t want to speculate, but I believe it was for security reasons,” she replied to Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

Maxwell is currently serving out the remainder of her 20-year prison sentence for her role in luring young girls to be abused by Epstein over the course of a decade. Epstein died by suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, authorities determined.

When asked if she thought Maxwell should receive a presidential pardon, the former attorney general replied, “No. I believe she should die in prison.â€

“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.”

A joint Justice Department and FBI memo from July alleged that Epstein abused more than 1,000 young women and girls. 

The former attorney general defended the Justice Department's overall handling of the disclosure, citing an estimate by Blanche that 1% of the records included improperly released identifying information about Epstein's accusers. When asked by lawmakers about whether she felt responsible for the disclosures, Bondi said she believed “everyone in the Department of Justice feels horrible when any victim’s name or identifying information is released.” 

Separately, the House Oversight Committee also released the transcript of its interview last month with Tova Noel, one of the two prison guards who was working the night before Epstein was found dead. 

In an internal email made public as part of the Epstein files disclosure, an FBI agent noted that an “orange blob†seen on surveillance video near the the entrance to the tier where the disgraced financier was being housed was believed to be Noel. 

“To be very honest, I don’t know what it is, who it is,†Noel told lawmakers, when asked about the image in the recording. “Because I never went back to the tier, and I was never carrying anything orange at all.”

Several months after Epstein's death, Noel and fellow guard Michael Thomas were charged with falsifying records that they were performing the required checks on inmates, but later took a deal with prosecutors to avoid any time behind bars. 

Spectrum News’ Cassie Semyon contributed to this reporting.