Not So Fast
It appears as though members of the House Oversight Committee, including some Republicans, are not going to let ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi get away with skipping her deposition now that she is no longer attorney general.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) subpoenaed Bondi for an April 14 deposition before the committee to answer questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and the relase of the department’s investigative files on the wealthy financier who was charged with sex trafficking before he died in prison. Bondi had not yet officially confirmed the date of her testimony when she was unceremoniously fired by Trump last week, reportedly due to her apparent failure to secure timely indictments and investigations into Trump’s perceived political enemies. The panel said in a statement today that they plan to continue seeking a date for her to testify.
The DOJ reportedly sent Comer a letter this week requesting that Bondi be relinquished from her deposition duties since she was fired from the DOJ. Per Politico, which obtained a copy of the letter to Comer:
“We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn,” wrote assistant attorney general Patrick Davis, adding that DOJ “continues to believe that additional compulsory process is unnecessary in light of our demonstrated willingness to voluntarily assist your oversight efforts.”
Democrats on the panel have already indicated that they believe Bondi must still answer the committee’s questions, despite her ouster.
“Now that Pam Bondi has been fired, she’s trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify before the Oversight Committee about the Epstein files and the White House cover-up,” the panel’s ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said in a statement Wednesday. “Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not. She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice.”
It appears panel Republicans are on the same page:
“The Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General,” a House Oversight Committee Republicans spokesperson said in a statement to Politico Wednesday. “The Committee will contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition.”
It’s been an open question whether Republican Oversight Committee members might still enforce the subpoena after Bondi’s departure. But Comer broke with other Republican panel members, alongside four other Republicans on the committee, to join Democrats in voting to subpoena Bondi in March, indicating he may still be interested in hearing from her despite her ousting from the DOJ.
Iran War Powers Vote Incoming
Democratic leadership in Congress is planning a handful of actions to at least make some noise about President Trump’s ongoing, unauthorized and increasingly hysterical war in Iran, which may or may not be ongoing. While leadership did not join the chorus of calls from Democratic members of Congress yesterday to invoke the 25th Amendment and/or impeach Trump, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is planning to force a vote on a war powers resolution in the upper chamber next week.
“Congress must reassert its authority, especially at this dangerous moment. No president, Democrat or Republican, should take this country to war alone. Not now. Not ever,” Schumer said at a press conference Wednesday. “Republicans will once again have the opportunity to join Democrats and end this reckless war of choice. The public must demand that Republicans join with us to approve the War Powers Act.”
While similar measures have already failed repeatedly in the Senate, it appears that Republicans may try to bake authorization for Trump’s military operation in Iran into an impending budget reconciliation package that they’re expected to use to give Trump billions more in funding for his war.
Meanwhile, in the House:
Americans Against Data Centers
A small city in Wisconsin, just outside of Milwaukee — currently home to a Trump-backed data center AI project — has voted to block the development of future data centers in the city. Advocates say their efforts could serve as a blueprint for residents seeking to fight the development of AI data centers in communities around the nation.
More details, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The referendum won with 66% of voters answering ‘yes’ on the ballot question, asking whether to approve an ordinance that would add a public checkpoint to the approval process for TIF districts over $10 million. The ordinance was proposed by residents part of a grassroots, local anti-data center group, called Great Lakes Neighbors United, that opposed the $15 billion AI data center for Oracle, OpenAI and Vantage on the city’s north side.
Relatedly, a new piece in TPM Cafe today: Trump Wants to Build Massive New Detention Centers. States Are Blocking Their Construction.
In Case You Missed It
New piece just out from Layla A. Jones: New Labor Department Rule is Trump’s Latest Favor to the Crypto Industry
Morning Memo: Declaring Victory and Walking Away Can’t Conceal the Scale of Trump’s Folly
John Light: ‘Open’ Is in the Eye of the Beholder
In case you missed it last night: Dem-Backed Judge Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Seat, Expanding Its Liberal Majority
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Trump: ‘A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight’ … Maybe
What We Are Reading
Trump administration personnel agency is asking for federal workers’ medical records
How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran
RFK Jr is launching a podcast to expose ‘lies’ that have made Americans sick
Bondi will get out of testifying. I’m not quite sure how, but she will.
The Dems are actually getting together to put the First Felon through a few things. There ya go.
Not sure which town in Wisconsin they’re referring to, but if we now have the model to prevent these data centers from pilfering resources from citizens, then push it forward to all the others.
And the First Felon really and truly lost everything with this Iran thing yesterday. The more that gets revealed, the worse it looks.
If, and it’s a huge if, the Oversight Committee proceeds with the subpoena process I think the only way she’ll escape appearing is to just let them charge her for Contempt of Congress and move on. Even if tRump doesn’t pardon her the DOJ isn’t going to pursue the matter. Hopefully after midterms she’ll have bigger issues to worry about
And Blue Kitty just sez wake her up then….
Didn’t the SupCt just use the IOKIYAR theory of legal construction to make it clear that Republicans don’t have to comply with Congressional subpoenas?
Port Washington