Democrats accuse Bondi of Epstein files coverup, demand special investigation

Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., are calling for a special counsel investigation into Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing her of perjuring herself when asked about President Donald Trump in the Epstein files earlier this month.

A letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Bondi and her testimony, in which she claimed there is no evidence Trump committed a crime in the files. “When confronted with her lie, she did not retract her statement, she doubled down,” the letter said. “We request that you immediately appoint a special counsel to investigate Attorney General Bondi for committing perjury. America cannot have a liar and a criminal as our top law enforcement officer.”

“If Deputy Attorney General Tom Blanche doesn’t want to be complicit in a cover up, and go down with his ship, then I sure hope he responds and appoints a special counsel,” Lieu told The Hill Wednesday.

The representatives sit on the House Judiciary Committee where Rep. Lieu first accused Bondi of lying when she testified on Feb. 11 for the first time since taking office. He showed video footage of Trump and Epstein at a party, asking if there were underage people at the party.

“This is so ridiculous,” Bondi said. “They are trying to deflect from all the great things Donald Trump has done. There is no evidence that Donald Trump has committed a crime.”

Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.

“I’m going to put up another document from a witness who called the FBI national threat operation center because I believe you just lied under oath,” Lieu replied showing a document with allegations against Trump from a limo driver’s tip. “You need to interview this witness immediately.”

“Don’t you ever accuse me of a crime,” Bondi said.

An NPR investigation published Tuesday found several documents were removed or withheld from the public database including the tip from the limo driver to the FBI’s national threat operation center.