BREAKING UPDATE on Pam Bondi's SUBPOENA

I'm joined now by the ranking member of. the House Oversight Committee, Robert. Garcia. Congressman, thanks for joining. me. >> Sure thing. >> So, the news today obviously is that Pam. Bondi has been fired by Donald Trump. The question remains though that given. the fact that she's out of her position. now, will the subpoena compelling her to. come testify for a closed-door. deposition with the House Oversight. Committee still apply for April 14th? >> It does apply. Uh first, the subpoena we. put in place does not have any mention. of whether the fact, uh you know, she's. AG or not. And the subpoena is for Pam.

Bondi. And so, whether she is in the. position or not, she legally is required. to appear before the Oversight Committee. on April the 14th, which is the date. that Comer set for her to come. We've. checked this all already out today with. all the all the lawyers and the. attorneys. And so, she now has to come. testify. She can come and do the right. thing and finally be honest about. actually what happened, why the. cover-up, why 50% of the files have not. been released. And look, she no longer. has to work for Donald Trump. So, let's. actually get to the truth. >> What happens in the event that she.

refuses to comply? >> If she refuses to comply, I'll be the. first one to submit contempt charges. against her because she would have to. then be accountable to the entire. Congress. I mean, look, we had Bill. Clinton and Hillary Clinton come. testify. We had the former AG Bill Barr. come testify about the Epstein files. There's no reason why the one person. that probably knows more in the current. government about this investigation. shouldn't stand and before us under oath. and give full testimony.

>> So, the Oversight Republicans released a. statement saying, quote, "Since Pam. Bondi is no longer attorney general, Chairman Comer will speak with. Republican members and the Department of. Justice about the status of the. deposition subpoena and confer on next. steps." Does that sound to you like like. James Comer and Oversight Republicans. are looking for an out? >> Well, what it what it didn't sound like. to me was uh saying that she didn't have. to come testify. I think that James. Comer knows that the only way to reverse. that subpoena is to come in front of the. committee again and force a vote for us.

to actually remove the subpoena. And I. think there's enough Republicans there. that likely will keep their courage like. they did the last time and actually. ensured the subpoena actually moves. forward. And so. Comer cannot somehow retract a subpoena. on his own or even with him and. Republicans because it was voted by the. entire committee and done in a way that. was bipartisan. And so she must come in. to testify unless he tries to pull some. type of major vote in the committee and. I'm not sure that all Republicans would. go along with that.

>> Well, it's worth asking, too, um. what would the rationale be for wanting. Pam Bondi there as attorney general and. to get some answers as to what's going. on but suddenly not wanting to hear from. her 2 weeks from now even though she's. not in that role. It's not like her I. mean, it's not like her mind is erased. And so any information that she has. about the suppression of the Epstein. files, for example, about why Ghislaine. Maxwell was moved to a low-security. prison. She doesn't She doesn't. lose that information. She would still. be able to answer those questions.

whether she's attorney general or not. >> Well, that's exactly right. And look, I. think it's also pretty evident that. Donald Trump probably doesn't want her. to testify. He probably didn't want her. to testify as AG. He certainly doesn't. want her to testify. as as a private citizen, not as attorney. general. I think that at the now look, she's got to think about herself. She is. not going to be working for Donald. Trump. She's going to be under oath. She. could be held in contempt. She certainly. should not be lying to the Congress, certainly as a private citizen. She has. no executive privilege. And so I think.

this is an opportunity for her to. actually do the right thing. and help us get to the truth and help us. move this investigation forward. There. are too many survivors out there that. need justice and this is an opportunity. for her to come in and actually tell us. why there has been this White House. cover-up, who directed it, who directed. the move of Ghislaine Maxwell to a less. secure prison? These questions have to. be answered. >> In terms of. accountability for Pam Bondi, if indeed.

she does refuse to comply with this. lawful subpoena, can you talk about the. statute statute of limitations even. though, you know, in during this. administration, obviously, there's. nobody in the DOJ who would seek to hold. her accountable, but what could it look. like in subsequent administrations? >> Right. Well, look, all subpoenas are. essentially active within that Congress. within that period of time. And so, you know, right now, obviously, we're here till through the end of the. year. She has to comply and we would move to. hold her in contempt immediately if she.

didn't comply with the subpoena. And and. certainly as a private citizen, she. doesn't have the other Department of. Justice or the president able to play. games as it relates to her and her. scheduling. I think she's going to be. quite available here in the next couple. of weeks. >> Yeah. >> In addition, we're going to We're our plan and. certainly mine, we're going to win the. Congress and we're going to win back the. House. And if she thinks she's going to. try to evade or distract, it's just not. possible. It's better for her to get out. in front of this now, give us the truth,

and tell us why they've doxed survivors'. names, why the cover-up, why has Donald. Trump's name been removed, put back, and. then removed from the files, why did. they Why did the president say this was. a hoax, and try to shut down the. investigation? So, there's a lot of. questions to ask and I think I think. we're going to be hearing from her in. the weeks ahead. >> You had mentioned that the subpoena is. valid for for this Congress, but would. defying a congressional subpoena would. would that crime only be valid during. this Congress or could is that something. that could be prosecuted even after this.

Congress is over? >> We we can we can we can take back to the. court and and prosecute as long as. necessary. I mean, I think I think at. the end of the day, um. what's ironic here and she know the. attorney general knows this, I mean, she's going going in front of us whether. it's now or in the future, because on. day one. of a Democratic con- controlled. Congress, I'll be sending out the. subpoena to have Pam Bondi in. So, there's not going to be a need uh to um. for there to be any sort of limit- you. know, limitations uh on that subpoena.

because she either comes in now or she. comes in when I when I chair the. committee. And so, I think that's going. to be the important thing. I think she. knows that. Uh she is the AG, so she. she's going to understand that. >> I I know that it's impossible for me to. ask you to get into anybody's head on. the right or within this administration, but recognizing that Pam Bondi knows. where all the skeletons are buried. And. And clearly there are skeletons. You. don't engage in a government-wide. cover-up, um you know, for for fun, right? Like this administration has been. beating its chest about how transparent.

they are, but on the Epstein files they. have played games since day one. And so, recognizing the extent to which Pam. Bondi knows where all the skeletons are. buried, is there a world where Donald. Trump um has put himself at risk by. virtue of, you know, discarding her, given the fact that she knows what she. knows? >> I think I think there is a world where. that's possible. I think it's you know, interesting that um. obviously Donald Trump has launched this. war on Iran. It's been uh I think he. views it also as a distraction from all. of his other hit problems, including the.

Epstein files. And last night he gives this non- speech. that is really no no new information. about the about the war or why we're. actually there. And then the day after, uh he now then. of course removes Pam Bondi, and. immediately the Epstein files uh and his. cover-up are back in the news. And so, I think he I think it's just. ironic that he continues to try to. distract us from the story, but it won't. go away. And And it won't go away. because the survivors are committed to.

justice, and we're committed to justice. And he can continue to distract, continue to talk about other issues, but. we're not going to let this go until. there's actually closure, until there's. prosecutions against many of the men. that did the abuse. She knows who those. men are she and she also knows why we. haven't prosecuted them. So, those are. the questions that we're going to ask. her. >> You know, in terms of the person who is. expected to take over for Pam Bondi, first of all, Todd Blanche will be. acting attorney general and then it's. expected that that Lee Zeldin will take. over but prior to Lee Zeldin, I mean,

Todd Blanche is also the person. responsible for um you know, interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell which. resulted in the reward of moving her. from the prison she was at in Florida to. a low security prison. um in in Texas and so, you know, I think. people look at Pam Bondi and say, "Well, thank God she's out." But do you have. any confidence that the person who's. replacing her at least in the immediate. future is not just as bad or worse? >> Well, as we know, Todd Blanche. was Donald Trump's former personal.

lawyer. I mean, literally his personal. attorney. Now, he's the deputy AG. Uh he's the same one that went out of. his way to visit Ghislaine Maxwell and. then all of a sudden she gets this move, right? To the less secure facility. And. and no one still will tell us how that. happened or who directed that. Uh it's. it's insane. that no one has admitted to who actually. gave the orders to move Ghislaine. Maxwell to a less secure prison. Pam. Bondi knows who did it. Was it her? Was. it the president? So, I think that the.

public has a right to know it the right. to transparency and the survivors. certainly have a right to know. She's a. monster. She's a liar. She herself. abused women. She was Jeffrey Epstein's. clearly not just partner but but her her. partner in creating creating this huge. sex trafficking ring that went on to. abuse what a thousand women and girls. So, I think the idea that we still don't. know why that move happened and that. that person that apparently was the one. meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell and. orchestrated this under whose direction.

we're not sure of yet is going to be the. interim AG. Give me a break. I mean, this is all part of the same corruption. Todd Blanche needs to be nowhere near. the DOJ, and it'll be interesting to see. who uh Donald Trump actually puts uh in. Pam Bondi's place permanently. >> Last question here. In the event that. that Todd Blanche takes over for Pam. Bondi as acting attorney general, is. that something that he would have to get. confirmed for, or is that automatic? And. the reason I ask that is because, you. know, there are these confirmation. hearings where these nominees have to.

answer for their actions um. in front of Congress, and so that could. be an opportunity for somebody to ask. Todd Blanche what the deal was in terms. of this uh this cushy new gig for. Ghislaine Maxwell. >> Yeah, I mean, a lot of it depends on how. long they're in office, but if it's. going to be a short window, which it. appears it's going to be, Todd Blanche. uh will not be confirmed by the Senate. likely. Uh and of course that then then the. process will start for whoever the. actual um permanent uh secretary is. going to be, the attorney general in the. case of Pam Bondi. >> We'll leave it there. Congressman, as.

always, thanks for the time, and uh and. thank you for staying on top of this. issue. >> Thank you.