'I will follow the law,' Bondi says after Dems storm out of Epstein files briefing

JOHN PARKINSON and LAUREN PELLERThu, March 19, 2026 at 6:19 AM UTC

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House Oversight Committee Democrats said Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to commit to complying with a subpoena that compels her to testify at a closed-door deposition over the Jeffrey Epstein files on April 14.

Frustrations boiled over Wednesday evening as Democrats stormed out in protest of a closed-door briefing on the files -- characterizing it as a "fake hearing." Republicans chided Democrats for a "premeditated" stunt.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters, "She refused on multiple occasions to commit to following the subpoena that Chairman [James] Comer actually just put out. I asked her repeatedly that question. Other members asked her that question, and she would not commit to it. It is outrageous. It's infuriating, and it's continuous -- this White House cover up of the Epstein files."

Nathan Howard/Reuters - PHOTO: Rep. Robert Garcia speaks to the media following a closed-door briefing for members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Capitol Hill, March 18, 2026.

Republicans, however, contended that Bondi actually stated that she would "follow the law" regarding her subpoena.

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"​​She said she's going to stick to the law, whatever the law is, that's what it is. So, I'm not the attorney but that was a legal answer, and that's what she's required to do as the attorney general," Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said. "It was all staged, you could tell it, because it just built up to it."

Asked after the briefing if she would comply with the subpoena, Bondi replied, “I made it crystal clear. I will follow the law.”

Congressional subpoenas carry the weight of law behind them -- defying one could result in a charge of contempt of Congress. But Democrats would need a handful of Republicans to vote with them to hold Bondi in contempt and the Department of Justice typically does not prosecute its own attorney general.

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The attorney general admonished Democrats, who she said did not ask any substantive questions.

"We were there to answer questions. It's the evening. We came at their convenience. We gave them as, really, as much time as they wanted," Bondi said. "We sat there saying, 'anything you want to ask us, ask us, anything you want to ask us.'"

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After the briefing, Comer told reporters that he does not believe Bondi should sit for a deposition -- even though the committee approved the subpoena.

"I personally don't see any reason for her to do a deposition. She's the sitting attorney general. She's turning over documents. I think the Democrats want to do this to embarrass her," he said.

Comer stressed that he did not vote for the subpoena to bring her in for a deposition.

"I want to bring in the bad guys for the deposition," Comer emphasized. "I want to bring in the men who have abused women. I want to bring in anyone who is involved in the prosecution and or lack of prosecution, of Epstein Maxwell and and some of these other guys. So that's where I think our time and energy should be spent."

Comer and Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., told reporters that they had a heated exchange, with the chairman acknowledging he scolded Lee to stop "bitching."

"She was just complaining about the format," Comer said. "The attorney general and [Deputy Attorney General Todd] Blanche and all the top brass at the DOJ in here to answer questions, and yet they don't ask a single question."

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