Democrats Walk Out of Pam Bondi Briefing Over Subpoena Standoff

Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee walked out of a closed-door briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche after Democrats said Bondi would not commit to complying with a subpoena to testify under oath on April 14.

The session came amid bipartisan frustration over the Justice Department's handling of records disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which the department said included more than 3 million pages, more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.

Committee chair Rep. James Comer called the walkout political grandstanding, Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia and Maxwell Frost said Bondi refused to agree to testify under oath, and a Justice Department spokesperson called the subpoena 'completely unnecessary,' officials said.

The committee voted 24-19 this month to subpoena Bondi, with five Republicans joining Democrats, and Democrats said every Democratic member on the panel walked out of the briefing, members and aides said.

Bondi told reporters she would 'follow the law,' but lawmakers said she would not commit to the subpoenaed April 14 deposition, and Comer declined to say whether the panel would hold her in contempt if she does not comply, officials said.