Bondi invoked privilege, declined to answer questions about interactions with Trump about Epstein files

Former Lawyer Common Pam Bondi declined to reply questions on President Donald Trump’s function within the Justice Division’s launch of information associated to convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, invoking privilege throughout her interview with the Home Oversight Committee.

Bondi declined to reply if Trump directed her or any DOJ officers to take actions associated to the information — although she acknowledged that he ordered an investigation into distinguished Democrats — and refused to deal with reports that she knowledgeable Trump that his identify appeared a number of instances within the information in Might, earlier than Congress handed a regulation requiring their launch final November.

“I will not talk about any conversations that I had or didn’t have with the president of america,” Bondi mentioned, in keeping with a transcript of her Might 29 testimony, launched by the committee on Thursday.

In the course of the roughly 4-hour interview, Bondi was accompanied by Assistant Lawyer Common Harmeet Dhillon, who rebuffed comparable questions.

“You are not going to get solutions on these points,” mentioned Dhillon, who mentioned she was current within the interview to “characterize the pursuits of the DOJ.”

Bondi Defends DOJ’s dealing with of Epstein information, however distances herself

Bondi typically defended the DOJ’s dealing with of the information — saying she was “pleased with the Division’s file and dedication to transparency” — whereas distancing herself from the day-to-day administration of the discharge of the information.

Bondi mentioned then-deputy Lawyer Common Todd Blanche “was main the Epstein matter and the discharge of every part from the start,” in keeping with the transcript.

After Bondi’s ouster as legal professional common, Trump named Blanche to function the performing head of DOJ and announced plans to appoint him to the submit completely.

Following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Bondi mentioned that Blanche oversaw recruiting the attorneys who reviewed the information for launch and authorized the method for redactions. She additionally mentioned she was not concerned within the drafting and launch of a joint FBI-DOJ memo final July that mentioned the overview of information “revealed no incriminating ‘shopper checklist'” and that the DOJ believed “no additional disclosure [of files] could be applicable or warranted.”

Bondi advised lawmakers: “I didn’t have a job in issuing this assertion. I imagine this was performed by Deputy Lawyer Common Blanche at the side of the FBI, I imagine.”

After Rep. Robert Garcia advised reporters exterior the room the place the interview was going down that Bondi was “blaming” Blanche for the controversial dealing with of the Epstein information, she defended her former deputy and mentioned he “did a wonderful job” managing the discharge of information.

“Todd Blanche is without doubt one of the most extremely moral people I do know, and I believe he’s making an unimaginable Appearing Lawyer Common. And he managed this investigation — and it was a Herculean process — with little or no error,” she mentioned.

Bondi acknowledged errors releasing sufferer identities

Bondi acknowledged that the DOJ improperly launched some paperwork that included the names and figuring out data of victims, although she argued that her workplace rapidly tried to deal with the errors.

“I had grave issues about victims’ names being launched due to the quantity of paperwork within the timeframe wherein these paperwork needed to be launched, and I imagine most individuals in my workplace shared those self same issues,” she mentioned, in keeping with the transcript. “I recall when a sufferer’s identify — everybody was upset when the sufferer’s identify bought launched inadvertently.”

Bondi says she’s unsure if anybody is underneath investigation for ties to Epstein

She additionally defended the DOJ’s withholding of some paperwork associated to accusations regarding Trump, which he has repeatedly denied.

Bondi mentioned these paperwork had been mistakenly recognized as duplicative. Requested about different allegations in opposition to Trump — which the DOJ beforehand described as “sensationalist” and “unfaithful” — she added that the DOJ seemingly didn’t examine these allegations as a result of they pre-dated the Trump administration.

“I do not imagine they had been investigated by any Division of Justice, and that is perhaps a query for the Biden administration as a result of, if I recall, all of it was simply earlier than the 2020 election, the salacious allegations,” she mentioned.

Bondi additionally deferred questions on any potential ongoing investigations associated to Epstein to present DOJ management, declining to reply if any of the high-profile names included within the Epstein information had been topic to investigations. Blanche earlier this yr mentioned the DOJ was not investigating Epstein or his associates.

Particularly requested about allegations involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bondi mentioned: “I’m not certain if he is topic of a pending investigation. I am unsure who’s or who is just not topic of an investigation.”

The youthful brother of King Charles III has denied wrongdoing.

Bondi addresses early blunders associated to Epstein information

Whereas the interview provided few new particulars about Epstein’s crimes and the DOJ’s investigations, Bondi did present some context for the DOJ’s dealing with of the information final yr.

Requested about her assertion to Fox Information that Epstein’s shopper checklist was on her desk for overview, Bondi mentioned these feedback had been misconstrued and that she was referring to a broader set of information, together with paperwork associated to President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

“I meant the information to overview. I had not reviewed them at the moment, and I made that clear,” she mentioned, in keeping with the transcript.

Requested in regards to the White Home’s determination to offer arduous copies of the “first section” of the Epstein information to a bunch of conservative influencers, Bondi downplayed the transfer, which was mocked on-line after it grew to become clear that almost all of the information had been already public.

“We had been seeing them that day; they had been within the White Home, and we handed them the binders. After which it was launched to most of the people as properly.”

Bondi says Maxwell ought to die in jail

Bondi additionally addressed the DOJ’s controversial determination to interview Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. She advised lawmakers that Blanche believed the DOJ ought to have made extra of an effort to talk along with her in case she had proof of doable co-conspirators.

“I do not need to speculate, however I imagine Deputy Lawyer Common Blanche, at the moment, reached out to them as a result of there was somebody, nonetheless residing in jail, who had potential details about different co-conspirators and crimes,” she mentioned.

She denied that Maxwell was transferred to a cushier jail after the interview to reward her, suggesting she could have been moved due to threats she probably confronted.

“If any defendant at any stage is getting threats, it is common to maneuver folks throughout the jail system. That is why it wasn’t that uncommon to me,” she mentioned.

When requested about whether or not she believes Maxwell ought to be pardoned, Bondi mentioned that “she ought to die in jail.”

“She was a monster, similar to Jeffrey Epstein. She recruited these younger girls to a lifetime of prostitution and abuse. And I typically suppose the ladies that do which are simply as unhealthy, if not worse, than the lads, as a result of she participated in it,” she mentioned.