In honor of Older Americans Month, Erie County Senior Services is sharing stories of people in our community. Next we’re honoring Casimiro Rodriguez — a trailblazer whose legacy in Erie County shines through his decades of service at General Motors and his visionary leadership as founder of the Hispanic Heritage Council. His unwavering dedication has empowered generations, preserved cultural heritage, and built lasting bridges of unity in our community. Thank you Casimiro for all you have done.
Every since Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired last week, it has left the unsettled question of whether she still has to sit for the upcoming congressional deposition, where among other things she was set to be asked about the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
The GOP-led commission has stated Bondi won't attend. In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) revealed on Wednesday, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) demanded that he publicly clarify she does, in fact, still have to participate.
"We moved to subpoena Pam Bondi, and the Committee voted to approve this motion on a bipartisan basis, because the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) still has not complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act ... and because serious questions remain regarding the DOJ's non-compliance and their handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates while she was Attorney General," said the letter.
Bondi's dismissal as AG, they wrote, "does not diminish the Committee's legitimate oversight interests in seeking her sworn testimony or the need for accountability and information about files withheld from the public by the DOJ. On the contrary, it makes her sworn testimony even more important, especially with respect to actions she took as Attorney General, matters already under investigation, and decisions made under her leadership."
The handling of the Epstein files was reportedly at least one of the reasons Trump decided to remove Bondi, a longtime MAGA loyalist who oversaw a number of prosecutions of Trump's political enemies, from the Justice Department.
Bondi's abrupt reversal on the files, telling the public there was no "client list" and nothing new of note in the files after she had spent months hyping it up to Trump supporters, played a huge part in fracturing the MAGA coalition and reducing public support for the president. Since legislation was passed compelling the release of all Epstein files, Bondi also presided over the department as it slow-walked that process and blew through important legal deadlines.
"The American people deserve answers about whether Congress was misled and whether information is being withheld by the DOJ," said the letter, telling Comer, "We ask you to publicly reaffirm that Pam Bondi must appear on April 14 for a sworn deposition as ordered or face appropriate enforcement if she refuses to comply."
