Abandoned by the GOP? Pam Bondi Faces Contempt Nightmare Over Epstein Files
Abandoned by the GOP? Pam Bondi Faces Contempt Nightmare Over Epstein Files
Republican lawmakers are openly weighing contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi after the Justice Department failed to meet a congressionally mandated deadline to release all eligible files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Sunday they are committed to holding the Department of Justice accountable for missing Friday’s deadline under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Both lawmakers confirmed they are discussing the possibility of holding Bondi in contempt of Congress.
Speaking on CBS’ Face the Nation, Massie said Congress has limited but powerful options to compel compliance. “The quickest way, and I think the most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” he said, referring to Congress’s rarely used power to directly enforce subpoenas.
Khanna and Massie were the bipartisan architects of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which imposed a hard deadline on the Trump administration to release all unclassified DOJ records tied to Epstein’s crimes. The law was designed to prevent delays, excessive redactions, or selective disclosures.
On Friday, the Justice Department released thousands of documents, including photographs, notes, and investigative records that shed disturbing new light on Epstein’s sex-trafficking network. The disclosures fueled renewed public outrage and intensified demands for full transparency.
However, lawmakers quickly pointed out that the release was incomplete. Khanna said on CNN that the administration had failed to comply with the law’s plain language. “Congress is talking about possible impeachment,” he warned. “They’re talking about inherent contempt for the attorney general or deputy attorney general.”
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Khanna added that DOJ officials who obstructed the release could still face legal consequences down the line. “Any Justice Department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration,” he said.
Not all Democrats agree that escalation should come immediately. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press that calls for impeachment or contempt are “premature,” arguing Congress has other tools at its disposal to force compliance.
“We have tools in appropriations bills and other mechanisms to compel action if someone is dragging their feet,” Kaine said. “I’d rather focus on those than jump straight to contempt and impeachment.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche reiterated that the remaining Epstein files would be released in stages. Appearing on Meet the Press, Blanche said DOJ attorneys are still reviewing materials to redact sensitive information related to victims, a justification that critics say rings hollow after the department was given 30 days to prepare the release.
As pressure mounts from both parties, the standoff over the Epstein files is rapidly becoming a constitutional clash between Congress and the Justice Department—one that could soon test the limits of congressional enforcement power.
