US House Democrats demand action as former attorney general misses deposition, threaten contempt

US Rep. Robert Garcia pressed House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Friday for answers after former Attorney General Pam Bondi failed to appear for a subpoenaed deposition earlier this week related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Bondi had been scheduled to testify on April 14 under a bipartisan subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee but did not attend.

Her absence has intensified a dispute between Democrats and Republicans over whether the committee is taking sufficient steps to enforce its authority.

"Pam Bondi skipped her deposition with our Committee. While Oversight Republicans claim they’re working on scheduling her appearance, there’s zero evidence that they’ve even spoken to her.

"Every day that goes by is one more day the former Attorney General is failing to fulfill the lawful, bipartisan subpoena from this committee. Oversight Democrats won’t let Bondi or Chairman Comer run out the clock on our investigation. If Bondi refuses to cooperate, she should be held in contempt,” Garcia said in a statement.

Garcia warned that if Bondi continues to refuse cooperation, lawmakers should move to hold her in contempt of Congress — a rare but serious step used to enforce compliance with congressional investigations.

In a letter to Comer, Garcia accused Oversight Committee Republicans of failing to demonstrate meaningful progress toward rescheduling the deposition.

“While you do not deny that the subpoena remains in effect and legally binding, apart from these vague statements, there has been zero indication that there has been any concrete progress toward a rescheduled date,” Garcia wrote.

Democratic committee staff, Garcia added, have repeatedly requested information about Bondi’s legal representation and any communications regarding the deposition but have received no response from Republican committee staff or the Justice Department.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has been pressing Bondi to comply with the congressional subpoena issued after her removal as attorney general, which her representatives have cited as grounds for declining the scheduled deposition.

Committee members say she was subpoenaed by name, not by title, and therefore remains obligated to appear.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced the removal of Bondi, who had attracted criticism over several issues, including the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files and what critics described as the department’s alleged weaponization against Trump’s perceived political opponents.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In 2008, he pleaded guilty in a Florida court to procuring a minor for prostitution, but critics described the relatively minor conviction as a “sweetheart deal.”

The case has remained a politically charged issue in the US, with lawmakers and victims’ advocates across the political spectrum demanding greater transparency about his network of associates and any individuals who may have facilitated his crimes.