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The House Oversight Committee on Thursday released the transcript of former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s closed-door interview with lawmakers investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case.
The 111-page transcription of Bondi’s May 29 interview, which was not recorded on video, shows the former attorney defending the Trump administration’s handling of files related to the notorious convicted sex offender, while refusing to answer numerous questions about any conversations she may have had with President Trump about the matter.
Here are 5 key takeaways from the transcript:
Blanche was ‘in charge’ and did ‘an excellent job’
“As the head of a large department with broad responsibilities, I did not lead every aspect of this effort nor conduct that document review myself,” Bondi told congressional investigators. “I delegated that oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.”
Blanche, who is now acting attorney general and Trump’s pick to lead the DOJ on a permanent basis, was mentioned by Bondi 96 times during the roughly four-hour-long hearing.
“He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files,” the former attorney general said at another point in the hearing.
Bondi noted that she was not trying to blame her successor for “anything” related to the handling of the documents.
“He managed this investigation — and it was a Herculean task — with very little error,” she said. “And Todd did an excellent job, in my opinion, and is doing an excellent job as our Attorney General.
“I’m not blaming anything on Todd.”
Bondi learned of Maxwell’s prison transfer from the news
The former attorney general insisted that she had “nothing to do with” Ghislaine Maxwell being moved to a cushy prison camp last year – days after Epstein’s convicted accomplice met with Blanche.
“I read about it in the newspaper, or online, after it happened. I had nothing to do with that,” Bondi said.
“I don’t want to speculate, but I believe it was for security reasons,” she added. “You’d have to ask the Bureau of Prisons that question.”
‘Monster’ Maxwell should ‘die in prison’
Bondi was asked during the closed-door interview if Maxwell, who was convicted of recruiting minors for Epstein to sexually abuse, should receive a presidential pardon.
“No. I believe she should die in prison,” Bondi responded.
“She was a monster, just like Jeffrey Epstein,” the former attorney general continued. “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.”
Bondi insists there are no outstanding Epstein documents
The DOJ has released all responsive material related to Epstein, according to the former AG.
“To my knowledge, they’ve all been released,” Bondi responded when asked if the DOJ remained in possession of any documents that would be required to be released pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
She noted that “approximately 3 million” pages of documents were made public by the DOJ after the department initially identified some 6 million potentially responsive documents.
The discrepancy had led some Democrats, like Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the oversight panel, to charge that “50 percent of the Epstein files” are being withheld.
Bondi explained that those 3 million other pages ended up being “duplicative or privileged or completely unrelated to Jeffrey Epstein.”
“The unredacted versions are also available to Members of Congress, including the duplicative material, so — and I believe that’s still available — so people can — so Congress can go in and see for themselves the 6 million pages versus why 3 million was released, and much of it was duplicative or privileged or completely unrelated to Jeffrey Epstein,” she said.
Bondi doesn’t dish on Trump
Bondi, who was fired from her DOJ perch in April, refused to discuss any conversations she may have had with the president about Epstein or the files.
“I’m not going to discuss any conversations that I’ve had with the President of the United States,” she said, asserting executive privilege.
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