House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia has warned acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that “we are just getting started” when it comes to the inquiry into the release of the Epstein files.
Why It Matters
The dispute follows President Donald Trump’s firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 2 amid backlash over the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Public confidence remains strained as lawmakers in both parties question whether the Department of Justice complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and whether withholdings were lawful and appropriately redacted.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ via email for comment outside of normal working hours.
What To Know
Blanche, a former federal prosecutor who became acting attorney general after Bondi’s ouster, said in an interview with Fox News that the DOJ released all files required under the transparency law following large tranches in December 2025 and January 2026.
“I have never heard President Trump saying that anything that happened to the attorney general had anything to do with the Epstein files,” Blanche said.
“What happened when the president signed the Transparency Act is the Department of Justice has now released all the files with respect to the Epstein saga,” he added.
Blanche went on to say that he and Bondi “appeared in front of Congress voluntarily a couple weeks ago, to answer any questions they had.” He later said: “I think that, to the extent that the Epstein files are part of the past year of this justice department, it should not be a part of anything going forward.”
Garcia, the Democratic Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, shared a clip of Blanche’s comments on X with the caption: “This is a lie. About 50 percent of the files have been released and per our subpoena it’s illegal to withhold them. Blanche may think it’s over, but we are just getting started.”
In a March 31 press release, Garcia said the Justice Department had released 3.5 million of roughly 6 million Epstein‑related documents collected by the department, and accused Bondi’s DOJ of failing to comply with a bipartisan Oversight subpoena seeking complete, unredacted files for Congress.
Pam Bondi and the Oversight Clash
Bondi’s firing came ahead of a planned House Oversight deposition about the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein investigation, with Democrats and some Republicans insisting she must still appear.
Representatives Ro Khanna and Nancy Mace said the subpoena remains in effect, and a spokesperson for Chairman James Comer said Republicans would confer on next steps following Bondi’s exit. Multiple committee members said after Bondi’s removal that her testimony is still expected under the subpoena’s terms, which scheduled her deposition for April 14.
Trump praised Bondi in social media posts announcing her departure and said Blanche would serve as acting attorney general.
