Robert Garcia scores a breakthrough, forcing Pam Bondi’s Epstein files testimony

House Democrats forced a breakthrough Wednesday in their fight to question former Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, filing a civil contempt resolution after she skipped a subpoenaed deposition and prompting Republicans to announce, within hours, that she will now testify next month.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the gay ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said his party moved to hold Bondi in civil contempt after she failed to appear for an April 14 deposition ordered as part of the committee’s investigation into the delayed release and redaction of records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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“Just a few minutes ago, we filed official contempt charges against Pam Bondi,” Garcia told reporters at the Capitol, accusing Bondi of refusing to answer questions about what Democrats have described as a broader effort to shield politically damaging information.

“Pam Bondi has illegally defied our committee, skipped her deposition, and has refused to cooperate,” Garcia added in a statement. “Oversight Democrats are taking the lead on holding Bondi in contempt because Chairman Comer is trying to run out the clock, and we refuse to let this Administration stop our investigation.”

Then came the reversal.

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Moments after Garcia’s announcement, a Republican spokesperson for the committee confirmed that Bondi would appear for a closed-door deposition on May 29.

“Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is appearing on May 29,” the spokesperson said, according to ABC News. Garcia quickly cast the shift as proof that public pressure was working.

“Clearly we’re being effective,” he said. “Only when we take action and when we actually have to force Republicans to do anything … do they actually ever do anything.”

The Oversight Committee voted last month in a rare bipartisan move to subpoena Bondi after frustration mounted over the Justice Department’s handling of millions of pages of Epstein-related files. Lawmakers from both parties raised alarms over delayed disclosures, extensive redactions, and the accidental release of some victims’ identifying information.

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The issue has become a flashpoint not just because of Epstein’s crimes, but because of the political shadows around them: who knew what, when, and whether the public is being allowed to see the full picture.

Bondi had been ordered to testify while serving as attorney general, but after President Donald Trump fired her earlier this month, the Justice Department argued that she was no longer required to appear because the subpoena was issued in her official capacity. Democrats rejected that explanation, arguing that Bondi’s personal knowledge of the department’s decisions made her testimony essential regardless of her title.