December 23, 2025
Over It: Lawmakers Threaten AG Pam Bondi With Contempt Over Epstein File Disaster
Lawmakers like Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who once advocated for transparency, compared the failed release to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, thinking the fight has reached the end of the road.
Two lawmakers are threatening to use a rare congressional sanction against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Attorney General Pam Bondi after all the Jeffrey Epstein files weren’t released by the deadline set in the Epstein Files Transparency Act, calling it a failure, NPR reported.
Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored the legislation, admitted they “are talking about and drafting that right now” in reference to bringing an inherent contempt against Bondi. The sanction gives Congress the authority to fine or arrest officers of the law accused of obstructing legislative functions. If successful, the accused can go to trial, last successfully used in the 1930s.
Some of the files were released to the general public on Dec. 19 but were heavily redacted, with some pages showing nothing but black marks blocking out words. Massie feels inherent contempt is the best way to get justice.
“I think the most expeditious way to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, said during an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation.
Khanna echoed similar sentiments, suggesting that the House does not need Senate approval to proceed.
“I believe we’re going to get bipartisan support in holding her accountable,” the Democrat from California said.
The Congress-passed Epstein Files Transparency Act allows redactions to protect victims and gives the DOJ until Dec. 19 to release them.
However, according to The Hill, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the agency wouldn’t share the full files, claiming the amount of information was too big for attorneys to redact victim identities within the deadline.
The move pushed top Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Judiciary Committee, Reps. Robert Garcia (Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.), to announce they would be “examining all legal options” to force the DOJ to comply.
While Blanche claims he isn’t taking the inherent contempt threats seriously, saying, “not even a little bit, bring it on,” lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to resign over accusations that the heavy redactions were all for the protection of President Donald Trump, who is allegedly named in the files.
“Now the cover-up is out in the open. This is far from over. Everyone involved will have to answer for this. Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, whole admin,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote on X.
“Protecting a bunch of rapists and pedophiles because they have money, power, and connections. Bondi should resign tonight.”
Other lawmakers like Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who once advocated for transparency, compared the failed release to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, thinking the fight has reached the end of the road.
“I wish people would understand, though, there’s a group of people out there that are in this, involved in this, that don’t want their names released, and there is some protection within the writing of the law, but you’re correct in every one of your assumptions where you said that, you know, who goes after the Justice Department when they screw up,” he said.
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