by
Nathan
Posner/Anadolu
via
Getty
Images)
Pam
Bondi
is
reportedly
trying
to
spin
her
unceremonious
journey
into
the
dustbin
of
history
into
an
excuse
to
*not*
testify
before
Congress.
The
now-former
Attorney
General
was
subpoenaed
to
appear
before
the
House
Oversight
Committee
last
month.
In
a
rare
bipartisan
moment
fueled
by
the
principle
that
“this
looks
bad”
(sometimes)
transcends
party
lines,
five
Republicans
on
the
committee
joined
the
Dems
to
demand
answers
over
Bondi’s
handling
of
the
Epstein
files.
But
assistant
attorney
general
Patrick
Davis
wrote
to
the
committee
to
“kindly
ask
that
you
confirm
that
the
subpoena
is
withdrawn,”
and
that
the
DOJ
“continues
to
believe
that
additional
compulsory
process
is
unnecessary
in
light
of
our
demonstrated
willingness
to
voluntarily
assist
your
oversight
efforts.”
And
a
spokesperson
for
the
Department
said,
“Because
of
the
leadership
transition
at
the
Department,
the
subpoena
no
longer
applies.”
Which,
I
guess
if
you
never
ask
the
answer
is
always
no.
But,
let’s
be
so
fucking
for
real
right
now,
that
argument
is
about
as
persuasive
as
a
toddler
claiming
bedtime
“no
longer
applies”
because
they
changed
into
different
pajamas.
Unsurprisingly,
the
committee
is
not
buying
what
DOJ
is
selling
at
the
clearance
rack
of
accountability
—
they’ve
already
confirmed
they’ll
reach
out
to
her
personal
attorney.
“The
Department
of
Justice
has
stated
Pam
Bondi
will
not
appear
on
April
14
for
a
deposition
since
she
is
no
longer
Attorney
General
and
was
subpoenaed
in
her
capacity
as
Attorney
General,”
a
spokeswoman
for
Oversight
Republicans
said
in
a
statement.
“The
Committee
will
contact
Pam
Bondi’s
personal
counsel
to
discuss
next
steps
regarding
scheduling
her
deposition.”
Plus
the
committee
has
already
heard
testimony
from,
ahem,
former
Attorney
General
Bill
Barr,
proving
that
“ex-A.G.”
is
not,
in
fact,
a
cloak
of
invisibility.
And
top
Democrat
on
the
committee
Rep.
Richard
Garcia
made
it
clear
he’s
not
going
to
let
this
go.
“She
must
come
in
to
testify
immediately,
and
if
she
defies
the
subpoena,
we
will
begin
contempt
charges
in
the
Congress,”
he
said.
“The
survivors
deserve
justice.”
Rep.
James
Walkinshaw
noted
the
subpoena
“did
not
become
null
and
void
when
she
was
fired.”
Republican
Nancy
Mace
also
had
strong
words
for
the
flimsy
excuse.
“Leaving
office
doesn’t
mean
you
get
to
dodge
accountability,”
Mace
said
in
a
statement.
“Pam
Bondi
was
subpoenaed
by
name,
not
by
title,
and
because
the
DOJ
stonewalled
Congress
and
refused
to
follow
the
law,
she
needs
to
appear
before
the
Oversight
Committee
and
answer
for
it.”
“She
promised
she
would
comply,”
she
said.
“April
14
is
her
chance
to
prove
it.
Chairman
Comer
must
make
one
thing
clear:
show
up
or
face
contempt.”
The
committee
sure
looks
like
they’re
ready
to
go
all
in
to
show
Bondi
you
can’t
ghost
Congress
like
a
bad
Hinge
date.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].