Justice Department leaders meet with lawmakers behind closed doors to quell Epstein files furor

Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives before President Donald Trump attends a women's history month event in the East Room at the White House, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) 2026-03-18T22:16:47Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to try to quell bipartisan frustration over the Justice Department’s handling of millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. The country’s top federal law enforcement officials were providing a closed-door briefing to members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about the tranche of documents that have become a political headache that the Trump administration has struggled to shake for more than a year. Justice Department leaders had hoped the release of documents tied to the disgraced financier would put an end to a political saga that has dogged the president’s second term, but the agency remains consumed by questions and criticism over Epstein’s case and its management of the files. The Republican-led committee on Tuesday issued a subpoena for Bondi to appear for a deposition on April 14 to answer questions under oath about Epstein’s case and the investigative files. Lawmakers have accused the Justice Department of withholding too many files and criticized the agency for haphazard redactions that exposed intimate details about victims. The Justice Department has called the subpoena “completely unnecessary,” noting that members of Congress have been invited to view unredacted files at the Justice Department and that department leaders have made themselves available to answer questions from lawmakers. The department has sought to assure lawmakers and the public that there has been no effort to shield President Donald Trump, who says he cut ties with Epstein years ago after an earlier friendship, or any other high-profile figures close to Epstein from potential emb

原文链接: AP News