House Democrats walk out of tense briefing with Bondi over Epstein files

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A radical of House Democrats walked retired of a closed-door briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi connected the Jeffrey Epstein probe precocious Wednesday, arsenic tensions implicit the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein lawsuit proceed to simmer.

The faceoff took spot 1 time aft the seat of the House Oversight Committee, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, subpoenaed Bondi to testify astir Epstein adjacent month.

Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went to Capitol Hill connected Wednesday to conscionable with members of the panel. Less than an hr later, Democrats near the room.

The committee's apical Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, told reporters that Bondi did not perpetrate to honoring the panel's subpoena. He called Wednesday's league a "fake hearing," adding that Bondi wasn't nether oath and did not springiness an opening statement.

"It's outrageous, it's infuriating and it continues this White House coverup of the Epstein files," Garcia said. "We're not going to instrumentality that anymore."

Another Democrat, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, called it a "fake deposition wherever nary 1 tin spot what's going on," noting the deficiency of C-SPAN cameras for the closed-door meeting.

Comer, meanwhile, suggested the walkout was "premeditated" and portion of a "political game."

"They came out, clutching their pearls, complaining that she wasn't answering questions," helium said. "The archetypal 3 radical to inquire questions, each they did was complain."

At 1 constituent during the hearing, determination was a verbal statement betwixt Comer and Democratic Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, some lawmakers acknowledged.

Lee told reporters she asked Comer if helium volition compel Bondi to comply with the subpoena and initiate proceedings to clasp her successful contempt of Congress if she doesn't amusement up, and, "instead of answering arsenic an adult, helium said that I was 'bitching.'"

Comer confirmed that interaction, saying Lee "was conscionable complaining astir the format."

He aboriginal wrote connected X: "I said Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone's clip due to the fact that Democrats were bitching and wasting everyone's time."

Asked whether she volition comply with the subpoena, Bondi said aft the briefing that she "made it crystal clear, I volition travel the law" — a effect that Garcia called inadequate. Bondi besides criticized Democrats' walkout.

"One congresswoman screamed: 'C-SPAN wasn't successful there, truthful she didn't privation to inquire questions.' Yet each time long, they've been connected societal media saying they had each these questions," Bondi said.

CBS News has reached retired to the Justice Department for comment.

The incidental underscored however caustic the Epstein contented has become. The Justice Department has faced years of aggravated questions implicit its handling of the disgraced financier, who avoided national charges for kid enactment crimes until 2019, erstwhile helium was indicted for enactment trafficking but died by termination in jail — drafting nationalist fascination and conspiracy theories.

The section has released millions of authorities files connected Epstein successful caller months — spanning aggregate national investigations into him and his convicted subordinate Ghislaine Maxwell — aft Congress passed a instrumentality precocious past twelvemonth requiring it to people its files connected Epstein.

Members of some parties person criticized the Justice Department's handling of the files' release, arguing that immoderate files were inappropriately withheld oregon excessively redacted. Some intersexual maltreatment survivors besides accidental their idiosyncratic accusation was exposed. The section has defended its merchandise process, saying that hundreds of lawyers pored done the files to cheque for survivors' names and person taken documents down erstwhile determination are redaction mistakes.

Democrats person accused Bondi of engaging successful a "cover up."

"We privation her nether oath due to the fact that we don't spot her," Frost said Wednesday evening.

Comer said that Republicans are committed to carrying retired a superior probe and privation to enactment with the Justice Department to get answers.

"Does it look similar a screen up?" helium said. "The lawyer general, Blanche and each the apical brass astatine the DOJ [were] successful present to reply questions, and yet, they don't inquire a azygous question."

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