US Democrats Walk Out of Epstein Briefing

(MENAFN) Democratic members of Congress walked out of a closed-door briefing on Wednesday with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, raising objections over how the Justice Department is handling the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking documents.

Representative Robert Garcia said he repeatedly questioned Bondi on whether she would agree to comply with a subpoena requiring her to testify publicly under oath and on record, adding that she declined each time.

“This has been completely set up in a way that’s been irresponsible,” Garcia said, characterizing the session as “some kind of fake hearing.”

Representative Yassamin Ansari stated that the briefing format—held behind closed doors, without recording, and without participants being sworn in—did not resemble a legitimate congressional hearing.

She noted that each lawmaker was allotted only three minutes to ask questions, with neither official providing opening remarks.

“They just looked even more guilty of a cover-up in the way they were acting,” Ansari added, referring to Bondi’s refusal to commit to appearing in a formal setting.

The situation escalated into a walkout after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer reportedly made a derogatory remark toward a Democratic member following a question about whether he would enforce the subpoena against Bondi. Democrats said the exchange led them to leave the session in protest.

Comer, however, pushed back against the criticism, stating that Democrats had the opportunity to ask questions but “didn’t ask a single pertinent” one.

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