Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA) speaks to the media following a closed-door briefing for members of the Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee, on the Justice Division’s dealing with of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the Epstein Recordsdata Transparency Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on March 18, 2026.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters
U.S. Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) stormed out of a closed-door briefing on the Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata by the U.S. Justice Division leaders, and mentioned they’d push to power Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi to reply questions beneath oath in regards to the case that has plagued the Trump administration.
Ms. Bondi and Deputy Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche went to Capitol Hill to attempt to quell bipartisan frustration over the Justice Division’s dealing with of thousands and thousands of recordsdata associated to Epstein’s intercourse trafficking investigation.
However lower than an hour into the briefing, Democrats walked out in protest of the association and mentioned they’d press to implement a subpoena for Bondi to seem for a sworn deposition subsequent month.
“We would like her beneath oath as a result of we don’t belief her,” mentioned Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost.
U.S. Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi and Deputy Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche depart following a closed-door briefing for members of the Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee
| Picture Credit score:
Reuters
Requested by reporters after the briefing whether or not she would adjust to the subpoena, Ms. Bondi mentioned, “I made it crystal clear I’ll observe the regulation.” She additionally defended the division’s dealing with of the Epstein recordsdata, saying officers are pleased with their work to launch thousands and thousands of paperwork to the general public.
‘Political grandstanding’
The committee’s Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer, accused Democrats of political grandstanding.
“This for us, for the Republicans, it’s about getting solutions,” Comer mentioned after the briefing. “For the Democrats, it’s a political sport, and so they simply demonstrated that at present. There’s no purpose for them to stroll out and clutch their pearls and act like they had been offended and outraged.”
Justice Division leaders had hoped the discharge of paperwork tied to the disgraced financier would put an finish to a political saga that has dogged the president’s second time period, however the company stays consumed by questions and criticism over Epstein’s case and its administration of the recordsdata. Ms. Bondi has accused Democrats of utilizing the furore over the paperwork to distract from Mr. Trump’s political successes, though a number of the most vocal criticism has come from members of the president’s personal occasion.
5 Republicans on the committee voted with Democrats to assist the subpoena for Ms. Bondi to seem for a deposition on April 14. Lawmakers have accused the Justice Division of withholding too many recordsdata and criticised the company for haphazard redactions that uncovered intimate particulars about victims.
The Justice Division has known as the subpoena “utterly pointless,” noting that members of Congress have been invited to view unredacted recordsdata on the Justice Division and that division leaders have made themselves out there to reply questions from lawmakers.
The division has sought to guarantee lawmakers and the general public that there was no effort to defend President Donald Trump, who says he reduce ties with Epstein years in the past after an earlier friendship, or some other high-profile figures near Epstein, from potential embarrassment. Justice Division leaders have additionally rejected recommendations that they’ve ignored victims and demand that whereas there isn’t a proof within the recordsdata to prosecute anybody else, they continue to be dedicated to investigating ought to new data come ahead.
“I’m not making an attempt to defend Epstein — I’m not,” Blanche mentioned in an interview this week with Katie Miller, who’s married to high Trump adviser Stephen Miller. “I do defend the work that this division is doing at present, proper now, which goes after each single perpetrator anyway, and if there’s a narrative that exists that we’re ignoring Epstein victims, that’s false.”
The paperwork had been disclosed beneath the Epstein Recordsdata Transparency Act, the regulation enacted after months of public and political stress that requires the federal government to open its recordsdata on the late financier and his confidant and onetime girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Felony investigations into the financier have lengthy animated on-line sleuths, conspiracy theorists and others who’ve suspected authorities cover-ups and clamored for a full accounting.
After lacking a December 19 deadline set by Congress to launch all of the recordsdata, the Justice Division mentioned it tasked lots of of legal professionals with reviewing the information to find out what wanted to be redacted, or blacked out. The Justice Division in January mentioned it was releasing greater than 3 million pages of paperwork together with greater than 2,000 movies and 180,000 pictures.
Revealed – March 19, 2026 08:49 am IST