The House Oversight Committee has voted to subpoena U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, setting up a high-stakes confrontation over the Justice Department’s handling of evidence tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a bipartisan vote Wednesday, five Republicans joined every Democrat on the committee to approve the motion requiring Bondi to testify under oath about the government’s management and release of files connected to Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
The measure passed 24–19.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican, introduced the motion after accusing the Justice Department of withholding crucial evidence from Congress and the public.
“There’s over 65,000 documents missing, and we know there are more than 2,000 videos that are out there,” Mace told reporters following the vote.
“They’re not giving Congress all the information or all the documents, and they’re obfuscating. And I’d like to ask questions about that in our deposition.”
The subpoena represents a rare moment of bipartisan alignment on a deeply polarizing issue in Washington.
Joining Democrats in support of the measure were Republican Reps. Mace, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Michael Cloud of Texas and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
The lawmakers are demanding answers about how the Justice Department has handled what remains one of the most controversial criminal cases in modern American history.
Epstein, a wealthy financier with powerful connections across politics, business and entertainment, was accused of running a global sex trafficking network involving underage girls.
He died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
His death was ruled a suicide, but the case has continued to fuel widespread suspicion and calls for greater transparency about his associates and the full extent of his operation.
Bondi has faced criticism for her department’s handling of the Epstein files throughout her tenure as attorney general.
That criticism intensified recently after the Justice Department declined to release the final three million documents related to the case.
According to Mace, millions of records tied to the investigation remain hidden.
“AG Bondi claims the DOJ has released all of the Epstein files,” the congresswoman wrote in a statement posted to social media.
“The record is clear: they have not.”
Mace went further, calling the Epstein case “one of the greatest cover-ups in American history.”
“Three million documents have been released, and we still don’t have the full truth,” she wrote. “Videos are missing. Audio is missing. Logs are missing. There are millions more documents out there.”
Lawmakers supporting the subpoena say they intend to question Bondi directly about the missing records, the process used to review and release the files, and whether any information about Epstein’s associates has been withheld.
The investigation could widen further.
Another Trump administration official has already volunteered to testify amid growing scrutiny.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island years after the financier had been convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
In an interview with Axios, Lutnick said he welcomed the opportunity to address the issue publicly.
“I look forward to appearing before the committee,” Lutnick said. “I have done nothing wrong and I want to set the record straight.”
The Oversight Committee’s vote sets the stage for what could become one of the most explosive congressional hearings in years.
If Bondi complies with the subpoena, lawmakers will have the chance to question the nation’s top law enforcement official under oath about what remains hidden inside the Epstein files — and why the public has yet to see the full record.
