Pam Bondi Faces Impeachment Threat After Trump-Free Epstein Files Drop Sparks Fury

Democrats and Republicans are joining forces to go after President Donald Trump's attorney general in a rare display of bipartisan fury. And the reason? A suspiciously Trump-free Epstein files dump that's left both parties outraged.

'Thomas Massie and I are drafting articles of impeachment and inherent contempt', Representative Ro Khanna told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Friday night. 'We haven't decided whether to move it forward yet'. It's a rare moment of bipartisan unity, a move sparked by what many see as a spectacular failure by the Justice Department to comply with the law Trump himself signed just 30 days ago.

A 'Slap in the Face of Survivors'

Friday's release was supposed to be everything. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed the House 427-1 and sailed through the Senate unanimously, required the DOJ to publish all Epstein-related documents by 19 December.

Instead of transparency, the DOJ blacked out 90% of the released pages. That includes 119 pages of grand jury testimony that were completely redacted. And whilst Bill Clinton appeared all over the photos—in hot tubs, on planes, dining with Epstein—Donald Trump was nowhere to be found.

That's odd, considering Trump and Epstein were known associates throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Photos from Epstein's estate released by House Democrats just last week showed Trump at parties with young women and fraternising with the convicted sex offender. Yet the DOJ's Friday dump produced no image of the President.

'[Blanche's] production violates the spirit of the law, and it violates the letter of the law, and it's a slap in the face of survivors', Khanna said, referring to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's announcement that more files would trickle out 'over the next couple of weeks'.

Testing Republican Loyalty

Khanna knows impeachment is a long shot. But he's not worried about Democrats—he's counting on support from the MAGA base.

'The issue for her is not, "are there 212 Democrats who would support it?"' Khanna said. 'The issue is how many Republicans and MAGA supporters would support it. My hope is, she looks at the outrage that MAGA has, she looks at the disappointment the survivors have, and makes a decision over the next two weeks to release these documents'.

Most Republicans didn't sign the discharge petition that forced the Epstein vote, but they nearly all voted for it once it came to the floor. Now Khanna's betting that anger from Trump's base over the incomplete release might push some Republicans to turn on Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Minutes before his CNN appearance, Khanna issued an even starker warning on AC360: 'Any justice department official who has obstructed justice could face prosecution in this administration or a future administration'.

Bondi's Credibility Problem

The attorney general has been all over the map on Epstein. In June, she claimed releasing more files was neither 'appropriate or warranted'. Then in July, reports surfaced that she'd told Trump his name was in the files. Now she's overseen a release that's so heavily redacted it's practically useless.

FBI Director Kash Patel hasn't helped matters. He shocked survivors by testifying before Congress that there was 'no evidence' Epstein trafficked women to anyone other than himself—a claim that flies in the face of Maxwell's conviction for sex trafficking conspiracy.

The handling has done serious damage. A November Morning Consult poll found that three in five Americans believe Trump knew about Epstein's crimes. Thirty-eight per cent reckon he participated in them.

A Crisis of Transparency

Massie, Khanna's Republican partner in this effort, warned there are 'penalties' if Bondi doesn't comply. Unlike a congressional subpoena that expires at the end of each Congress, the Epstein Files Transparency Act is law. 'A future DOJ could convict the current AG and others', Massie noted.

The DOJ, for its part, is claiming victory. In a letter to Congress, Blanche wrote: 'Never in American history has a President or the Department of Justice been this transparent with the American people about such a sensitive law enforcement matter'.

That's not how survivors see it. More than five hours after the release, many were still struggling to navigate the DOJ's 'Epstein Library', frustrated by a search function that didn't work and heavy redactions that obscured key information.

Why This Matters

The Epstein case represents one of the most significant sex trafficking investigations in modern history, involving wealthy and powerful men across multiple countries. Survivors have waited years—some decades—for accountability. Friday's incomplete release, with its conspicuous focus on Clinton whilst Trump remains absent, suggests the DOJ is picking and choosing what to share based on political considerations rather than transparency.