Former Attorney General Pam Bondi spent three and a half hours testifying before Congress today on the Jeffrey Epstein files, marking her first public appearance since being removed from the Department of Justice and diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Bondi arrived at the Capitol Hill hearing visibly wearing a bandage across her throat, evidence of recent surgery. Her testimony occurred while she remained under treatment for the condition, drawing widespread acknowledgment of her resilience amid personal health challenges.

During her appearance before the House Oversight Committee, Bondi emphasized pride in the Department of Justice’s transparency efforts during the Trump administration, including the production of nearly 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents, thousands of videos, and hundreds of thousands of images. She stated that investigations into Epstein and his accomplice Andrew Maxwell advanced under multiple presidential administrations from Bush to Biden, and that the DOJ fulfilled its obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act through a “diligent, good-faith, comprehensive review process.”

Bondi acknowledged “redaction errors” were made but maintained the Department’s commitment to accountability and transparency. She also noted that Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon confirmed Bondi twice stated that Maxwell—currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking conspiracy and trafficking of minors—should not receive a presidential pardon, characterizing him as “very evil” and asserting that “females who collaborate with sex offenders are worse because they procure other victims.”

Bondi corrected Democratic claims about her testimony on social media, labeling Rep. Walkinshaw’s suggestion that President Trump knew about Epstein’s crimes early as a “MISREPRESENTATION” and denying allegations that she shifted responsibility to current Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The House Oversight Committee continues its investigation into the Department of Justice’s handling of Epstein-related files following his death in Manhattan jail on August 10, 2019.