Pam Bondi told House Oversight lawmakers that Todd Blanche, who served as her deputy at the Justice Department and whom Donald Trump plans to nominate as attorney general, was “in charge” of the DOJ’s handling and release of the Epstein files. Bondi said she did not personally conduct the document review and had delegated oversight of the process to Blanche, even as she defended the department’s broader handling of the records. Her testimony came amid continued criticism from lawmakers and survivors over redactions, disclosure mistakes, and the department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Bondi acknowledged that there had been redaction errors, but insisted the department had been committed to accountability and transparency.

The testimony also showed Bondi trying to walk a narrow line: distancing herself from the operational mistakes while denying that she was blaming Blanche. She praised him as ethical and described the review as a “Herculean task,” but the transcript backed up Democratic lawmakers’ claim that she repeatedly pointed to Blanche as the person managing the release. Bondi also said she learned about Ghislaine Maxwell’s controversial prison transfer from news reports and had nothing to do with it, rejected the idea of a Maxwell pardon, and refused to discuss private conversations with Trump. Afterward, Democrats urged House Oversight Chair James Comer to bring in Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel for questioning as the Epstein files fight continued to widen.

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Pam Bondi claims Todd Blanche was ‘in charge’ of ‘entire release’ of Epstein files | Pam Bondi | The Guardian