Mace Vows to Force Ex-Attorney General Pam Bondi to Testify on Epstein Probe, Despite Committee Pushback

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan push is underway to compel former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify before Congress about her office's handling of matters related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, setting up a potential confrontation within the House Oversight Committee.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) declared Wednesday that Bondi remains legally obligated to appear for a sworn deposition, directly countering a committee spokesman's suggestion that she was "off the hook" after leaving office. The dispute centers on a subpoena authorized by the committee earlier this year.

"The motion passed by this committee named Pam Bondi, not the title of Attorney General," Mace stated in a social media post. "She cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds that office. The American people deserve answers, and we expect her to appear as soon as a new date is set."

Mace, joined by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), sent a formal letter to Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) urging him to enforce the subpoena. Mace told CNN she believes she has sufficient bipartisan support to proceed even if Chairman Comer attempts to cancel the deposition.

Last week, Mace was blunt in her criticism of Bondi's tenure. "I do believe the handling of the Epstein files was done in a very poor manner by her and her office," she said. "There are still serious, unanswered questions that she can address. I'm moving forward."

The renewed pressure highlights lingering bipartisan concerns over the completeness of investigations into Epstein's network and whether influential figures received preferential treatment. Bondi served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019, a period overlapping with Epstein's controversial plea deal in 2008 and his later arrest in 2019.

Reaction & Analysis:

"This isn't about partisan politics; it's about basic oversight," said Michael Rhodes, a former federal prosecutor and legal analyst. "A subpoena is a subpoena. The committee has a legitimate interest, and Bondi's testimony could provide crucial context for how state and federal investigations intersected."

"Finally, someone is showing some spine," said Elena Martinez, a victims' rights advocate. "For years, it's felt like the powerful connected to Epstein get a pass. Mace is right—no one is above being asked questions, especially when the victims have been waiting for transparency for over a decade. Bondi's silence is deafening."

"This is a transparent political stunt that wastes the committee's time," countered David Fletcher, a conservative political strategist. "Bondi is a private citizen. This reeks of a fishing expedition designed to generate headlines, not facts. The chairman should shut it down and focus on real issues facing Americans."

"The procedural fight itself is revealing," noted Dr. Anya Sharma, a political science professor. "It tests the limits of congressional subpoena power against former officials and exposes internal rifts within the majority party on how aggressively to pursue certain lines of inquiry."