(José Niño, Headline USA) Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, demands Attorney General Pam Bondi testify before Congress regarding the Justice Department’s failure to release documents required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The Kentucky Republican, working alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, has threatened unprecedented legal action against Bondi for what they characterize as willful violation of federal law.
Massie tweeted on Wednesday, “@AGPamBondi should be called to testify in the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight Committee where she must answer for her failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“It’s unusual that she’s never appeared in front of the House Judiciary Committee.”
.@AGPamBondi should be called to testify in the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight Committee where she must answer for her failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
It’s unusual that she’s never appeared in front of the House Judiciary Committee.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 14, 2026
President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 19, establishing a Dec. 19 deadline for complete disclosure of all federal records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The law passed in Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support after a discharge petition forced Speaker Mike Johnson to allow a floor vote.
The Justice Department released a small batch of heavily redacted documents on the statutory deadline. More than 550 pages in the initial release appeared entirely blacked out with no visible content. As CBS News reported, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called this approach a violation of “the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law” and questioned what officials were attempting to hide.
In a subsequent court filing, Justice Department officials admitted releasing less than one percent of existing Epstein files, per a report by Democracy Docket. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledged approximately two million documents remain under review more than two weeks past the legal deadline.
Massie pointed out that Bondi has never appeared before the House Judiciary Committee despite serving as Attorney General since Feb. 5.
Recent Attorneys General including Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Loretta Lynch all testified before the House Judiciary Committee during their tenures. Bondi has only appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in an October hearing that CNN described as “contentious” and lasting over four hours.
The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled Bondi’s first appearance for Feb. 11, nearly one year into her tenure. Massie suggests this delay demonstrates a pattern of avoiding congressional accountability.
Massie and Khanna are exploring inherent contempt proceedings against Bondi. This rarely used congressional power allows the House to enforce subpoenas through its Sergeant at Arms without requiring Justice Department cooperation or Senate approval.
“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” Massie said, according to ABC News. “Basically Ro Khanna and I are talking about and drafting that right now.”
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
