By
Ava Berger
Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (center) arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on Friday in Washington, D.C. Lawmakers will ask Bondi questions about the federal government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and release of related files to the public.Andrew Harnik/Getty Imageshide caption
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi defended her handling of the Epstein files ina closed-door interview Friday before House lawmakers, noting that then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche oversaw the document review process.
"The bottom line is: justice and transparency in this matter have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration," Bondi said in a prepared opening statement obtained by NPR.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bondi for a closed-door transcribed interview in March to discuss her role in overseeing the DOJ'srelease of millions of documentsrelated to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"There were redaction errors," Bondi said of the released Epstein files. "But since day one of this process, this Department has been committed to accountability and transparency."
Bondi said handling the release of the Epstein files was an "enormously complicated and labor-intensive process." She also said that she "did not lead every aspect" of the release or "conduct the document review" herself. Instead, she said, she "delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche." Blanche has been acting attorney general since Bondiwas ousted from the DOJ's top spotin April.
"Our diligent and good faith effort to collect materials ensured that all potentially responsive documents that could be reasonably located would see the light of day," Bondi said.
"I have spent my entire career fighting for victims and I will continue to do so. I am deeply sorry for what any victim has been through, especially as a result of that monster," she continued.
Halfway through the closed-door interview, House Democrats told reporters that Bondi repeatedly pointed to Blanche when asked about the files.
"Every single one of our questions got one of three responses. One: 'Not to my recollection' or 'I don't know.' Number two: 'Talk with Todd Blanche — I don't know anything about it.' And number three: 'I am not talking about Donald Trump,'" said Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost.
California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said Democratic lawmakers want both Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel to answer questions before the committee.
Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department's assistant attorney general for civil rights, and Jonathan Guynn, a deputy assistant attorney general in the department's civil division,represented Bondi.
Dhillon told reporters after the interview that Bondi deferred to Blanche on some questions because it is common for parts of the attorney general's job to be delegated. She also said that Bondi did not answer some questions related to Trump because of certain "ground rules laid with the committee." She said she would not discuss the details of those ground rules.
