Speaker 1: What's up everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. So the Pam Bondie transcript has been released,
Speaker 1: and in this episode we're going to begin taking a
Speaker 1: look at what she had to say about her part
Speaker 1: in the ongoing Epstein cover up. Mister Emmer, we will
Speaker 1: go on the record. This is a transcribed interview of
Speaker 1: former Attorney General Pamela Jay Bondi, conducted by the House
Speaker 1: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under the authority granted
Speaker 1: in pursuant to the House Rule X. According to the
Speaker 1: House Rule X grants the Committee broad jurisdiction for the
Speaker 1: Committee to conduct investigations of any matter at any time.
Speaker 1: This interview was requested by Chairman James Comer as part
Speaker 1: of the Committee's investigation into the circumstances and subsequent investigations
Speaker 1: into the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell, the
Speaker 1: operation of sex trafficking rings and the ways for the
Speaker 1: federal government to effectively combat them, the ways in which
Speaker 1: mister Epstein and miss Maxwell sought to curry favor and
Speaker 1: exercise influence to protect their legal activity, and a potential
Speaker 1: violation of ethics rules related to elected officials. Can the
Speaker 1: witness please state her name and spell her last name
Speaker 1: for the record. Bondi sure, Pamela Bondi bo and du
Speaker 1: Y Emmer thank you. My name is Jack Emmer and
Speaker 1: I'm the Chief of Council for Investigation for Chairman James Gomer.
Speaker 1: Under the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform rules, you're
Speaker 1: allowed to have one Council President to advise you during
Speaker 1: the interview. Do you have counsel representing you in a
Speaker 1: personal capacity present with you today? BONDI only as my
Speaker 1: when I was Attorney General for the United States, and
Speaker 1: that's har Meat Dylan another winner, another absolute moron, har
Speaker 1: Meat Dylan Emmer. Will counsel please identify themselves for the record. Dylan. Yes,
Speaker 1: I'm Harmeat Dylon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights,
Speaker 1: and I'm here on behalf of the United States Department
Speaker 1: of Justice, as the former Attorney General was subpoenaed and
Speaker 1: disappearing here voluntarily in her official capacity only, and accordingly,
Speaker 1: I'm here to represent the interest of the DOJ and
Speaker 1: its interest in effectuating the Transparency Act, and solely to
Speaker 1: be here on behalf of the DOJ. I'm also accompanied
Speaker 1: by one of my colleagues, and he'll state his appearance
Speaker 1: as well. Mister Ginn, I'm Jonathan Ginn, Deputy Assistant Attorney
Speaker 1: General for Civil Division, and I'm here appearing in the
Speaker 1: same capacity as Miss Dylan. Mister Emmer, we have members
Speaker 1: of Congress here with us today. For the records, starting
Speaker 1: with the Chairman, can members please identify themselves for the record?
Speaker 1: James Comer, Chairman Kentucky, Mister Garcia, Ranking Member Robert Garcia,
Speaker 1: Congressman Sue has Submerennium, Yasimin and sorry, James Walkinshaw, Maxwell Frost,
Speaker 1: Melanie Stansbury, mister Emmer for the records, Starting with the
Speaker 1: Majority staff, Can the additional staff members please introduce themselves
Speaker 1: with their name, title and affiliation. Billy Grant, Deputy Chief
Speaker 1: Council for Investigations, Chairman Comer, Daniel Ashworth, General Counsel for
Speaker 1: Chairman Comber, Ryan Gaketty, Chief Council Chairman Comer, Ellison Tolan,
Speaker 1: Council for Chairman Comber, and the list goes on. We're
Speaker 1: going to pick back up with the conversation though, mister Emmer,
Speaker 1: thank you all. Attorney General BONDI, before we begin, I
Speaker 1: would like to go over the ground rules for the
Speaker 1: transcribed interview. The questioning will proceed in rounds. The majority
Speaker 1: will ask questions for up to an hour, and then
Speaker 1: the minority will have an opportunity to ask questions for
Speaker 1: an hour if they choose to the extent. Members have
Speaker 1: questions for the witness, they'll be propounded during their sides
Speaker 1: respective rounds. The clock will stop if you need to
Speaker 1: confer with counsel. Your counsel speaking, and when members of
Speaker 1: staff are speaking during the opposing side rounds of questions,
Speaker 1: we will alternate back and forth until there's no more questions.
Speaker 1: Do you understand BONDI yeah, Emmer. There's court reporter taking
Speaker 1: down everything I say and everything you say to make
Speaker 1: a written record of the interview. For the record to
Speaker 1: be clear, please wait until the staff for questioning you
Speaker 1: finishes each question before you begin your answer, and the
Speaker 1: staffer will wait until you finish your response before proceeding
Speaker 1: to the next question. Further, to ensure that the court
Speaker 1: reporter can properly record this transcribed interview, please speak clearly, concisely,
Speaker 1: and slowly. Also, the court reporter cannot record nonverbal answers
Speaker 1: such as nodding or shaking your head, so it's important
Speaker 1: that you answer each question with an audible verbal answer.
Speaker 1: Do you understand BONDI? Yeah? Emmer exhibits may be entered
Speaker 1: into the record. Majority exhibits will be identified numerically, Minority
Speaker 1: exhibits will be identified alphabetically. We want you to answer
Speaker 1: our questions in the most complete and truthful manner possible,
Speaker 1: so we will take our time. If you have any
Speaker 1: questions or do not fully understand the question, please let
Speaker 1: us know. We will attempt to clarify, add context to,
Speaker 1: or rephrase our questions. If we ask about specific conversations
Speaker 1: or events in the past and you're unable to recall
Speaker 1: the exact words or details, you should testify to the
Speaker 1: substance of those conversations or events to the best of
Speaker 1: your recollection. If you recall only part of the conversation
Speaker 1: or event, you should give us your best recollection of
Speaker 1: those events or parts of conversations that you do recall.
Speaker 1: Do you understand BONDI yes? Question. Although you're here voluntarily,
Speaker 1: you're acquired by law pursuant the Title eighteen of the
Speaker 1: United States Code, Section one thousand and one to answer
Speaker 1: questions from Congress truthfully This also applies to questions posed
Speaker 1: by Congressional staff in the interview do you understand Bondy yes? Question?
Speaker 1: If at any time you knowingly make false statements, you
Speaker 1: could be subject to criminal prosecution. Do you understand Bondy yes? Emmer.
Speaker 1: This includes knowingly providing false testimony, but also stating you
Speaker 1: do not recall or remember something when in fact you do.
Speaker 1: Do you understand Bondy yes, Emmer. Furthermore, you cannot tell
Speaker 1: half truth or exclude information necessary to make statements accurate.
Speaker 1: You're required to provide all information that would make your
Speaker 1: response truthful. A deliberate failure to disclose information can constitute
Speaker 1: a false statement. Do you understand bond yes? Emmer. Is
Speaker 1: there any reason you're unable to provide truthful testimony in
Speaker 1: today's interview? Bondy no, Emmer. Please note that if you
Speaker 1: wish to assert a privilege over any statement today, that
Speaker 1: assertion must comply with the rules of the Committee on
Speaker 1: Oversight and Government Reform pursu into that committee. Rule sixteen
Speaker 1: C one states for the chair to consider assertions a
Speaker 1: privilege over testimony, your statements, witnesses or entities must clearly
Speaker 1: state the specific privilege be an asserted and the reason
Speaker 1: for the assertion, honor before the scheduled date of testimony
Speaker 1: or appearance. Do you understand, Bondy, yes, Emmer. Ordinarily we
Speaker 1: take a five minute break at the end of each
Speaker 1: hour of questioning, but if you need a longer break
Speaker 1: or a break before that, please let us know and
Speaker 1: we'll be happy to accommodate. However, to the extent that
Speaker 1: there's a pending question, we would ask you to finish
Speaker 1: answering the question before we take a break. Do you understand,
Speaker 1: bond Y, yes, Emmer. I would like to remind anyone
Speaker 1: here today that the taking of still photography and the
Speaker 1: recording of video of any part of today's proceeding is prohibited.
Speaker 1: Attorney General Bondi. Do you have any other questions before
Speaker 1: we begin? Bondy no, Emmer. Do you have an opening
Speaker 1: statement that you'll be reading into the record? Bond Y, yes, please, Emmer,
Speaker 1: you may proceed. Bondy, good morning. Before we start today,
Speaker 1: I want to reiterate what I've said many times regarding
Speaker 1: the Department's handling during my tenure as Attorney General of
Speaker 1: the voluminous materials that are now commonly known as the
Speaker 1: Epstein Files. I'm proud of the Department's record and commitment
Speaker 1: to transparency. Under my leadership, we demonstrated an unprecedented commitment
Speaker 1: to transparency in the department search for collection and review
Speaker 1: of the Epstein Files, producing nearly three pages of material,
Speaker 1: including thousands of videos and hundreds of thousands of images.
Speaker 1: These investigations span four administrations, dating back to the Bush
Speaker 1: administration and have gone on through the Obama administration, the
Speaker 1: first Trump administration, the Biden administration. The only time federal
Speaker 1: prosecutors were permitted to launch investigations against Epstein and Maxwell
Speaker 1: was when President Trump occupied the White House. Only under
Speaker 1: President Trump were three million Epstein related documents released. This
Speaker 1: was an enormously complicated and labor intensive process. To the
Speaker 1: best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under
Speaker 1: the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Our diligent and good faith
Speaker 1: effort to collect materials ensured that all potentially responsive documents
Speaker 1: that could be reasonably located would see the light of day.
Speaker 1: All Department components were directed to submit any potential responsive records,
Speaker 1: resulting in a comprehensive review of millions of documents. At
Speaker 1: the head of a large department with broad responsibility. I
Speaker 1: did not lead every aspect of this effort, nor conduct
Speaker 1: the document review myself. I delegated that oversight over the
Speaker 1: process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The team of
Speaker 1: professionals who were reviewed the material that we collected assured
Speaker 1: me the only material that were withheld were either non responsive, privileged,
Speaker 1: or duplicative. Although not required by the Act, the Department
Speaker 1: has given Congress access to unredacted duplicative material in the
Speaker 1: reading room in an effort to maximize transparency. There were
Speaker 1: redaction errors, but since day one of the process, the
Speaker 1: Department has been committed to accountability and transparency. Our stance
Speaker 1: has always been that the Department stands ready to review
Speaker 1: any potential evidence of criminal activity related to Ebstein and
Speaker 1: his associates, and would pursue the appropriate investigations or prosecutorial
Speaker 1: actions wherever the facts in law warrant. I would like
Speaker 1: to repeat what I shared before the House Judiciary Committee
Speaker 1: in February. I've spent my entire career fighting for victims,
Speaker 1: and I'll continue to do so. I am deeply sorry
Speaker 1: for what any victim has been through, especially as a
Speaker 1: result of that monster. If they have any information to
Speaker 1: share with law enforcement about anyone who has hurt them
Speaker 1: or abused them. The FBI is waiting to hear from them.
Speaker 1: The bottom line is justice and transparency in this matter
Speaker 1: have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and
Speaker 1: his administration. Thank you, mister Emmer, Thank you. We've had
Speaker 1: another member of Congress join. Can he please identify himself
Speaker 1: for the record, mister min Congressman Dave min Emmer. Attorney
Speaker 1: General Bondie, I just want to thank you again for
Speaker 1: participating in today's proceeding and for your years the public service,
Speaker 1: both to our country and the state of Florida. I
Speaker 1: want to recognize that you're currently undergoing cancer treatment, and
Speaker 1: I'll say that we will do our best to ask
Speaker 1: all the questions in the most efficient and timely way possible.
Speaker 1: So let's start by briefly discussing your education and experience.
Speaker 1: I understand that you've had a long career, but can
Speaker 1: you summarize it for the record. Bondie Sure. I went
Speaker 1: to the University of Florida undergraduate. I graduated from Stetson
Speaker 1: College of Law. I was a prosecutor in Hillsborough County,
Speaker 1: Florida for eighteen years. Prosecuting almost every kind of crime imaginable,
Speaker 1: from first degree murders all the way to domestic violence.
Speaker 1: I was Felony Bureau Chief there as well. I also
Speaker 1: be the Attorney General for the State of Florida, where
Speaker 1: I served for eight years, and then for the past
Speaker 1: year I was Attorney General of the United States. Question
Speaker 1: by Emmer, So let's talk about your time as Attorney general.
Speaker 1: You started in February of twenty twenty five. Is that correct? Answer? Yes,
Speaker 1: question by Emmer. And as it relates to Jeffrey Epstein, matter,
Speaker 1: when you assumed office, what was the DOJ doing? Answer
Speaker 1: when I assumed regarding Epstein Emer Yes, Bondie, when I
Speaker 1: assumed office, nothing to my knowledge and nothing had been released,
Speaker 1: and I don't know if it had been requested to
Speaker 1: be released. Emmer. Did you direct the Department to conduct
Speaker 1: a review of the Epstein and Maxwell investigation? Answer immediately,
Speaker 1: I mean within weeks of assuming office. Question can you
Speaker 1: describe for the committee what that looked like? Answer? Yes,
Speaker 1: I spoke to the FBI and we asked them to
Speaker 1: turn over all the documents in their possession related to Epstein. Emmer,
Speaker 1: and as far as the those documents What was the
Speaker 1: DOJ going to do with those documents? Bondy, provide transparency
Speaker 1: and release them to the public and the Congress, of course.
Speaker 1: Question by Emmer. And I believe you said that started
Speaker 1: immediately upon your assuming office. Is that right, Bondy, I
Speaker 1: believe within weeks Emmer. And as far as providing transparency,
Speaker 1: was there a specific timeline that you provided to the
Speaker 1: FBI to follow as far as releasing the documents? Bondi, yeah,
Speaker 1: it was prior to Director Bettel being confirmed. I believe
Speaker 1: when the process started and we received from the FBI
Speaker 1: approximately three hundred documents that were released. Emmer. And to
Speaker 1: be clear, you directed this internal review of the Epstein matter.
Speaker 1: There was no other review that was occurring prior to
Speaker 1: you assuming office. Answer not to my knowledge question. Also
Speaker 1: for the record, the Epstein and Maxwell investigation was considered
Speaker 1: closed upon you taking office answer to my knowledge yes.
Speaker 1: Question When were you first briefed on the Eptie Stein
Speaker 1: Maxwell matter? Answer by Bondi initially after we received again
Speaker 1: approximately three hundred documents and those were released, and I
Speaker 1: believe that was the tip of the iceberg, that that
Speaker 1: the FBI had not turned over all the documents. Director
Speaker 1: Patel eventually was confirmed, and I sent him a letter
Speaker 1: asking him to look into that and give us any
Speaker 1: other documents in the FBI's possession anywhere in the country,
Speaker 1: and ultimately we received much more. Question and for the record,
Speaker 1: who would have been briefing you on the Epstein matter
Speaker 1: as far as one you took office, Bondie Todd Blanche question,
Speaker 1: what specific concerns did the department have as it related
Speaker 1: to the Epstein and Maxwell matter when you assumed office?
Speaker 1: Answer that nothing was released And again to my knowledge,
Speaker 1: no one that spanned the Biden administration or previously had
Speaker 1: sought to release any of the information. And I believe
Speaker 1: it was within weeks of me assuming office that we
Speaker 1: asked for and demanded all these documents. Emmer, do you
Speaker 1: recall whether there were concerns that there was potentially unindicted
Speaker 1: co conspirators? Answer always yes. All right, folks, we're gonna
Speaker 1: wrap up right here, and in the next episode dealing
Speaker 1: with the topic, we're gonna pick up where we left off.
Speaker 1: All the information that goes with this episode can be
Speaker 1: found in the description box. What's up, everyone, and welcome
Speaker 1: to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode,
Speaker 1: We're gonna get right back to the Pam Bondi transcript. Emmer, So,
Speaker 1: at the time that you directed this review, was there
Speaker 1: any sort of plan of what the review would consist of? Bondi? Well, initially, again,
Speaker 1: we only received several hundred documents and they were released
Speaker 1: upon reaction by the FBI. Then, once Director but Tell
Speaker 1: assumed disposition, we found many more documents, and as we
Speaker 1: receive those, those were reviewed and released. And we have
Speaker 1: always made it very clear that if anyone is the
Speaker 1: victim of Jeffrey Epstein, and I count Clain Maxwell in
Speaker 1: there too, she's just as evil as Jeffrey Epstein was,
Speaker 1: that they come forward to us the FBI. Many of
Speaker 1: these victims are represented by lawyers and talk to us. Emmer.
Speaker 1: Upon taking office, did any victims or victim attorneys reach
Speaker 1: out to the department? Bondi, yes, Emmer, how many, Bondie,
Speaker 1: I can't recall how many. I know multiple. There were
Speaker 1: multiple victims and many of which I believe the majority
Speaker 1: are represented by attorneys. Emmer. Did you meet with them
Speaker 1: personally or would that have been something that Todd Blanche
Speaker 1: would have done? Answer Bondi. No, I spoke to one attorney.
Speaker 1: I can't recall her name. She was a former prosecutor,
Speaker 1: and she seemed to deeply care about these victims, of course,
Speaker 1: and I spoke to her, and I believe I referred
Speaker 1: her to the FBI. You know, when a victim is represented,
Speaker 1: you go through their attorney, and I spoke to her directly,
Speaker 1: and then I know many of the lawyers in my
Speaker 1: office spoke to other attorneys, and I believe the FBI
Speaker 1: spoke to multiple victims as well. But I would direct
Speaker 1: that to Deputy Attorney General now Acting Attorney General Blanche,
Speaker 1: and also director of Battel Emmer. You would have been
Speaker 1: briefed on these meetings with victims and their attorneys, is
Speaker 1: that right, BONDI, I have not been. After the fact,
Speaker 1: question Okay, do you have any idea what the victims
Speaker 1: and their attorneys were concerned about during the time period
Speaker 1: of February and spring of twenty twenty five? BONDI only
Speaker 1: the attorney that I spoke to, and she was just
Speaker 1: concerned about being heard and these victims being heard. Emmer,
Speaker 1: Uh huh? Were they interested in files being released at
Speaker 1: the time? Answer? I don't recall. Question Okay, you mentioned
Speaker 1: Director Battel and the FBI. Were there any other agencies
Speaker 1: that were involved in the review of documents during this period, Bondi,
Speaker 1: the FBI, the DOJ, multiple components of the DOJ, my
Speaker 1: National Security Division at the time, and then ultimately we
Speaker 1: received multiple documents. We used attorneys from around the country,
Speaker 1: including Florida and New York. Emmer, and I know I
Speaker 1: asked you about potential co conspirators earlier, but when you
Speaker 1: were reviewing these initial documents in the spring of twenty
Speaker 1: twenty five, were there ever any plans to pursue investigations
Speaker 1: into potential co conspirators? Answer? I'm sorry, what month did
Speaker 1: you say? Emmer? Upon assuming office and during the spring
Speaker 1: of twenty twenty five, Bondy, if there were co conspirators
Speaker 1: or evidence that anyone committed a crime that could be
Speaker 1: proven in a courtroom, it's any prosecutor's duty to pursue that, Emmer,
Speaker 1: Attorney General Bondi. On February twenty first, twenty twenty five,
Speaker 1: just over two weeks after you were sworn in as AG,
Speaker 1: you responded to a question in an interview about a
Speaker 1: purported list of Epstein's clients by saying it's sitting on
Speaker 1: my desk right now. Is that an accurate characterization of
Speaker 1: your statements during that interview, Bondi, if you listened to
Speaker 1: the entire interview, I was referring to the file, and
Speaker 1: I also included I don't have a copy of the
Speaker 1: transcript of that interview, but I kept going in said
Speaker 1: the question, was I believe a list of clients? And
Speaker 1: I said, it's sitting on my desk to review, along
Speaker 1: with JFK files MLK files. I wasn't I meant the
Speaker 1: files to review. I had not reviewed them at the time,
Speaker 1: and I made that clear. Emmer. And I'm assuming you
Speaker 1: did ultimately review those files, is that right, BONDI? Yeah,
Speaker 1: along with multiple attorneys in my office. Emmer And were
Speaker 1: those files the ones that you referred to previously that
Speaker 1: the FBI produced to the DOJ upon assuming office? Answer? Yes, question,
Speaker 1: thank you, Bondi, And I think you clarified something for me.
Speaker 1: It was within two weeks of assuming office that I
Speaker 1: received those so really within just a week or more,
Speaker 1: I had requested all the Epstein documents. Question and during
Speaker 1: this period, upon the assuming office, you were interested in
Speaker 1: whether or not there was a client list of Epstein Bondy, Yes, Emmer,
Speaker 1: and you directed the department to review whether there was
Speaker 1: a client list bond question by Emmer. And those documents
Speaker 1: that you referred to that were sitting on your desk
Speaker 1: were those ultimately produced publicly? Bondi, yes, Emmer. A week later,
Speaker 1: on February twenty seventh, twenty twenty five, a group of
Speaker 1: select individuals left the White House holding white binders that
Speaker 1: contained the DOJ seal and were labeled the Epstein Files
Speaker 1: Phase one. Do you recall this occurring, Bondi, yeah, and
Speaker 1: that would include the approximately I'm saying approximate three hundred pages,
Speaker 1: and I believe that included flight logs and other things.
Speaker 1: But those were the initial documents that we received. Emmer.
Speaker 1: Were you involved in providing these documents to these individuals?
Speaker 1: Bondi yes, question and ultimately, whose decision was it to
Speaker 1: release the documents? Bondy Ultimately mine to release as much
Speaker 1: as we could while protecting victim's identities. Emmer. How were
Speaker 1: the recipients of this Phase one release selected? Answer? We
Speaker 1: were seeing them that day, they were at the White
Speaker 1: House and we handed them the bar and then it
Speaker 1: was released to the general public as well. Emmer. Were
Speaker 1: these recipients of the Phase one release also provided an
Speaker 1: opportunity to review the documents at DOJ headquarters. Bondy, I
Speaker 1: don't believe so, Emmer. So the label Epstein Files Phase
Speaker 1: one at that point, was it presumed that there would
Speaker 1: be a Phase two? Answer? Yeah, because I didn't believe
Speaker 1: that there were only three hundred approximately pages of Epstein documents.
Speaker 1: And I had sent the FBI a letter demanding everything
Speaker 1: they had, and that meant around this country on Epstein
Speaker 1: and that was all we received, Emmer. And to be clear,
Speaker 1: was there any other release of documents prior to this
Speaker 1: Committee's investigation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act? Answer? Yes,
Speaker 1: multiple ones, multiple ones, Emmer. At this time, I'd like
Speaker 1: to introduce what will be marked as majority Exhibit number one,
Speaker 1: and I'll give you a moment to review. Attorney General Bondi,
Speaker 1: do you recognize this letter, Bondi? Yes, this is the
Speaker 1: letter that I referred to earlier dated February twenty seventh,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, that I sent a Director Patel and
Speaker 1: to clarify, I had said that we released approximately three
Speaker 1: hundred maybe earlier documents, there were about two hundred pages.
Speaker 1: According to the letter that I sent them. Emmer. So,
Speaker 1: in the letter, you claim that you learn from a
Speaker 1: source that the FBI Field office in New York was
Speaker 1: withholding thousands of pages of Epstein documents, despite the FBI's
Speaker 1: assurances that all relevant documents had been delivered to the
Speaker 1: Department of Justice already. In this letter, you say that
Speaker 1: you only received about two hundred pages and requested an
Speaker 1: investigation into the document shortfall. Is that an accurate summary
Speaker 1: of what occurred? Answer? Yes, Emmer. Why do you think
Speaker 1: that this field office was withholding documents? BONDI? I asked
Speaker 1: Ptel to look into that. Emmer. Who told or who
Speaker 1: told you or brought these concerns to you that they
Speaker 1: may be withholding documents, Bondy. I believe it was one
Speaker 1: of the attorneys in my office who said. I believe
Speaker 1: it was a career prosecutor who said, I think there
Speaker 1: are more documents and they're in New York. I don't
Speaker 1: believe it was an FBI agent. And then that's when
Speaker 1: I contacted Director Patel, who by that time had assumed office. Emmer.
Speaker 1: You also stated in the letter that the FBI failed
Speaker 1: to disclose the existence of these documents after your repeated
Speaker 1: requests to turn over all documents. Is that correct, Bondi?
Speaker 1: That is correct, and I said by eight am tomorrow,
Speaker 1: the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files
Speaker 1: to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings,
Speaker 1: and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless
Speaker 1: of how such information was obtained. There will be no
Speaker 1: withholdings or limitations to my or your access. The Department
Speaker 1: of Justice will ensure that any public disclosure of these
Speaker 1: files will be done in a manner to protect the
Speaker 1: privacy of victims and in accordance with the law, as
Speaker 1: I've done my entire career as a prosecutor. And the
Speaker 1: letter continues, question and you already mentioned that you discussed
Speaker 1: this with Director Patel. Did you also discuss it with
Speaker 1: Deputy Director of Bongino? Answer? I don't know if Deputy
Speaker 1: Director of Bongino had assumed his office at that point.
Speaker 1: Emmer and pursue into your letter. Did Director Ptel initiate
Speaker 1: an investigation into that field office? Bondi, I believe he did. Emmer.
Speaker 1: Do you know what the results of that investigation were? Bondi,
Speaker 1: I don't recall. Emmer given this letter, What other steps
Speaker 1: did you take to ensure the FBI turned over any
Speaker 1: end all of the remaining withheld documents? Bondi. I relied
Speaker 1: on Patel and Deputy Attorney General Blanche. Question by Emmer,
Speaker 1: so you yourself did not ever confirm that the FBI
Speaker 1: turned over all relevant documents following this incident. Answer by Bondi,
Speaker 1: you would have to ask Director Patel. Question at this time,
Speaker 1: I would like to what will be marked as majority
Speaker 1: exhibit number two. Question Emmer. Attorney General Bondi, do you
Speaker 1: recognize the statement? Answer by Bondi, yes. Question what role
Speaker 1: did you have in issuing the statement? Bondy, this was
Speaker 1: I did not have a role in issuing the statement.
Speaker 1: I believe it was done by Deputy Attorney General Blanche
Speaker 1: in conjunction with the FBI. I believe. Question and for
Speaker 1: the record, this is the July seventh, twenty twenty five
Speaker 1: DOJ an FBI joint statement. The statement said that there
Speaker 1: was no evidence that Epstein kept a client list of
Speaker 1: associates whom he blackmailed or conspired with to victimize dozens
Speaker 1: of women. Do you know which documents the DOJ and
Speaker 1: FBI relied on in issuing the statement, BONDI, I do not.
Speaker 1: You'd have to ask Deputy Attorney General now Acting Attorney
Speaker 1: General Blanche and director of Bttel Emmer, prior to this
Speaker 1: statement being issued, where you briefed on the reviews finding
Speaker 1: that informed the state? BONDI, yes. Question what were you told, Bondy,
Speaker 1: I don't recall other than what's in the letter Emmer.
Speaker 1: As far as conclusions of the letter itself, did you
Speaker 1: have concerns Bondy at the time, No, We relied on
Speaker 1: the documents that the FBI and DJ received. Question and
Speaker 1: the letter says that there was DJ was not able
Speaker 1: to locate a client list. Did DOJ compile a list
Speaker 1: of individuals as far as its review that may have
Speaker 1: been associated with Epstein and Maxwell? Answer? Not, to my knowledge,
Speaker 1: they didn't compile a client list to my knowledge. Question
Speaker 1: by Emmer. So for the record, is it your testimony
Speaker 1: today that the Department of Justice never had a list
Speaker 1: of Epstein's clients or associates in its possession? BONDI not,
Speaker 1: to my knowledge. All right, folks, we're gonna wrap up
Speaker 1: right here, and in the next episode dealing with the topic,
Speaker 1: we're gonna pick up where we left off. All the
Speaker 1: information that goes with this episode can be found in
Speaker 1: the description box. What's up, everyone, and welcome to another
Speaker 1: episode of the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're diving
Speaker 1: right back in to the transcript from Pam Bondi and
Speaker 1: her visit to Congress. Question Emmer. The joint statement also
Speaker 1: said neither the DOJ nor the FBI uncovered evidence that
Speaker 1: could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties. What process
Speaker 1: did the Department of Justice undergo to determine there was
Speaker 1: no evidence to investigate any third parties? Bondi. I believe
Speaker 1: the FBI thoroughly reviewed all the documents in its possession
Speaker 1: to make that determination. They are the investigative agency. Emmer.
Speaker 1: Uh huh. During the time when this statement was issued,
Speaker 1: you've mentioned that Blanche was heavily involved. Were you ever
Speaker 1: briefed on individuals of concern related to Epstein or Maxwell? Bondi.
Speaker 1: I don't recall other than they were scouring through the documents,
Speaker 1: and I believe there were multiple videos as well. Question,
Speaker 1: as far as this initial review, did the Department of
Speaker 1: Justice conduct any interview or meeting with any individual in
Speaker 1: its efforts to determine whether further investigation was necessary. Bondy.
Speaker 1: Can you repeat that, Emmer? As part of its review
Speaker 1: that informed the July seventh joint statement, did the Department
Speaker 1: of Justice interview any individuals outside the DOJ to inform
Speaker 1: its conclusion? Bondi. I believe the FBI did, but that's
Speaker 1: a question for Director Bettel Emmer. On July twenty fourth
Speaker 1: and July twenty fifth of twenty twenty five, Deputy Attorney
Speaker 1: General Todd Blanche interviewed Glenn Maxwell, and the DOJ released
Speaker 1: the transcript a month later. Attorney General BONDI, why did
Speaker 1: the Department of Justice conduct this interview? Bondi? I believe
Speaker 1: Deputy Attorney General now Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has
Speaker 1: set on several occasions at Epstein by that time was
Speaker 1: dead and no one had taken had made an effort
Speaker 1: to interview Glenn Maxwell to see if she had evidence
Speaker 1: of co conspirators and other crimes, and that that's why
Speaker 1: interviewed her. Question are you aware of whether Maxwell reached
Speaker 1: out to the Department of Justice to request this interview?
Speaker 1: Answer by BONDI, I don't recall how it was initiated, Emmer,
Speaker 1: So would it be safe to assume that you had
Speaker 1: no role in the determination that then Deputy Attorney General
Speaker 1: Todd Blanche would perform the interview. Answer, Oh, I knew
Speaker 1: that Todd was going to interview or yes, I believe.
Speaker 1: I don't believe who initiated it if she reached out
Speaker 1: to us, I believe. I don't want to speculate, but
Speaker 1: I believe that Deputy Attorney General Blanche at the time
Speaker 1: reached out to them because there was someone still living
Speaker 1: in prison who had potential information about other co conspirators
Speaker 1: and crimes. Question by Emmer. Were there any concerns at
Speaker 1: the DOJ about conducting the interview with clann Maxwell Bondie. No,
Speaker 1: not to my knowledge, Emmer. And based on Maxwell's testimony
Speaker 1: to Todd Blanche, did the Department of Justice take any
Speaker 1: subsequent action that were informed by the testimony? Answer by
Speaker 1: BONDI I don't believe. So. Now, mister Grant jumps in
Speaker 1: and do you know why or how it became that
Speaker 1: the Deputy Attorney General Blanche would be the one to
Speaker 1: take the interview of miss Maxwell Bondie. He was leading
Speaker 1: the Epstein matter and the release of everything from the beginning.
Speaker 1: Deputy Attorney General now acting you as Attorney Blanche was Emmer,
Speaker 1: Maxwell's attorney stated publicly that Maxwell had provided the names
Speaker 1: of one hundred different people connected to Jeffrey Epstein in
Speaker 1: the course of a two day interview. Did the Department
Speaker 1: of Justice investigate any of the individuals named in Maxwell's testimony?
Speaker 1: Bondi and I believe that entire transcript has been released
Speaker 1: and the FBI would have looked into that. That was
Speaker 1: the purpose of taking the statement. Question as far as
Speaker 1: the transcript itself and what has been released publicly, how
Speaker 1: did the Department of Justice determine which individuals would be
Speaker 1: redacted from the transcript? Bondy, Deputy Attorney General Blanche made
Speaker 1: that determination based on the law and what privileges would apply.
Speaker 1: Question do you know what type of individual names were
Speaker 1: redacted in the Maxwell transcript? Answer by Bondie, I don't recall.
Speaker 1: Question are you aware of whether there were any redaction
Speaker 1: errors in the transcript? Answer? I don't recall. Ultimately, of course,
Speaker 1: there were millions of documents released, so I don't recall
Speaker 1: regarding the transcript, but if there were, I do believe
Speaker 1: Deputy Attorney General Blanche now acting ag Blanche did everything
Speaker 1: to be sure we had complete transparency under the law. Question.
Speaker 1: Following the interview, Glenn Maxwell was moved by the Bureau
Speaker 1: of Prisons from a maximum security prison in Florida to
Speaker 1: a low security federal prison in Texas on August first,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five. Why was that, Bondie. I read about
Speaker 1: that in the newspaper or online after it happened. I
Speaker 1: had nothing to do with that. I don't want to speculate,
Speaker 1: but I believe it was for security reasons. You'd have
Speaker 1: to ask the Bureau of Prisons that question. Question. Would
Speaker 1: then Deputy Attorney General Blanche know the answer to that question? Bondy,
Speaker 1: he may, and I'm not sure if he's addressed it publicly. Probably,
Speaker 1: but transferring a prisoner is the decision of the Bureau
Speaker 1: of Prisons. Question to be clear, and to your knowledge,
Speaker 1: do you know if her transfer had anything to do
Speaker 1: with her participating in the interview with Todd Blanche Bondy,
Speaker 1: I have no knowledge of that. Again, I found out
Speaker 1: about it after the transfer, when it became public. Question,
Speaker 1: Attorney General of BONDI, do you believe that Glenn Maxwell
Speaker 1: should receive a pardon? Bondy? No, I believe that she
Speaker 1: should die in prison. Question why? Answer? She was a
Speaker 1: monster just like Jeffrey Epstein. She recruited these young women
Speaker 1: to a life of prostitution and abuse. And I often
Speaker 1: think that the women that do that are just as bad,
Speaker 1: if not worse, than the men, because she participated in it.
Speaker 1: Mister Grant's asking questions again. On August twenty second, twenty
Speaker 1: twenty five, this committee issued a subpoena to the Department
Speaker 1: of Justice for documents pertaining to the Epstein matter. The
Speaker 1: DOJ subsequently produced approximately thirty three thousand documents to the committee.
Speaker 1: In this production, the DOJ indicated that multiple responsive records
Speaker 1: must also be withheld or redacted as required by applicable law,
Speaker 1: including certain grand jury material and documents containing personally identifiable information.
Speaker 1: Are you aware, Attorney General Bondi, how the DOJ initially
Speaker 1: gathered or collected necessary documents under this committee subpoena? Answer? No,
Speaker 1: And that task I believe was thirty three thousand pages
Speaker 1: was delegated to Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. He handled
Speaker 1: that bachel releases excuse me question, and so it would
Speaker 1: be mister Woodward that would know more about the process
Speaker 1: to determine which documents fell under that subpoena? Answer yes,
Speaker 1: Question were you ever briefed on the documents underneath that subpoena? Answer?
Speaker 1: Maybe briefly after they were released. Our goal was to
Speaker 1: get as much out publicly that was legally permissible as
Speaker 1: fast as we could. Question And would that redaction process
Speaker 1: for those documents be similar to what the Department of
Speaker 1: Justice was already doing as far as making sure no
Speaker 1: personal information was getting out there because it was required
Speaker 1: by law. Answer yeah, and I believe that Stanley Woodward
Speaker 1: was the one again who supervised that release. Question and
Speaker 1: in this matter, who at the Department of Justice would
Speaker 1: have been actually doing those redactions? Staff attorneys, other attorneys
Speaker 1: at Main Justice, someone else? Answer? I believe it was attorneys,
Speaker 1: multiple attorneys at the Department of Justice, even some again
Speaker 1: from the National Security Division. And again, ultimately attorneys from
Speaker 1: all over the country were pulled in to help once
Speaker 1: we received the millions of pages of documents. But initially
Speaker 1: we did have attorneys from within the Department of Justice
Speaker 1: and the FBI, I believe working on those redactions. And
Speaker 1: are you aware of attorneys at the Department of Justice
Speaker 1: having to undergo any type of training as far as
Speaker 1: redactions go. Answer. I believe they did, and that would
Speaker 1: have been supervised by Todd Blanche. Question was there any
Speaker 1: criteria for which attorneys get selected to do redactions that
Speaker 1: you're aware of? Bondie? I recall we used attorneys from
Speaker 1: the National Security Division as much as we could because
Speaker 1: they have top security clearance and the goal was to
Speaker 1: protect the victim's identities. Question and are you aware of
Speaker 1: why the DOJ only produced thirty three thousand documents pursuant
Speaker 1: to the committee subpoena. Answer? I believe because that was
Speaker 1: all they had at the time, and we would have
Speaker 1: had to ask Associate Attorney General Stanley wood Word that question. Now,
Speaker 1: mister Emmer is asking questions once again. Let's talk about
Speaker 1: the Epstein Files Transparency Act, And for the record, the
Speaker 1: EFTA was signed into law November nineteenth of twenty twenty five,
Speaker 1: requiring you, the Attorney General at the time, to release
Speaker 1: all documents related to the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein within
Speaker 1: thirty days and making them publicly available in a searchable format.
Speaker 1: What was your role in carrying out the Epstein Files
Speaker 1: Transparency Act? Answer? Todd Blanche supervised that entire process. To
Speaker 1: back up for a minute, though, the Office did ask
Speaker 1: for those files prior to the Transparency Act be unsealed
Speaker 1: by the courts in multiple jurisdictions. I believe it was
Speaker 1: SDFL and SDNY, and those requests were denied and it
Speaker 1: was not until the Transparency Act that we were able
Speaker 1: to receive those documents. Questions, So there were existing efforts
Speaker 1: to release documents prior to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Speaker 1: Answer yes, question, So what was your response to the
Speaker 1: Epstein Files Transparency Act being passed? Bondie. We were able
Speaker 1: to receive many more documents based on the Act. We
Speaker 1: were able to unseal the grand jury. We made a
Speaker 1: motion to unseal the grand jury documents and Epstein and Maxwell,
Speaker 1: and that also included the Epstein when he died excuse me.
Speaker 1: That also included when Epstein died in prison. It included
Speaker 1: I believe a prison guard case somewhere, Epstein cases and
Speaker 1: both jurisdictions and Maxwell's cases. Question, and you said the
Speaker 1: effort was directed by Todd Blanche. Is that correct? Answer? Yes?
Speaker 1: Question How frequently did you meet with Todd Blanche after
Speaker 1: the Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed? Answer. I spoke
Speaker 1: with Deputy Attorney General practically every day about countless issues
Speaker 1: around not only the country but the world that we
Speaker 1: were dealing with. As to details on it, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I don't recall how often question in relation to EFTA
Speaker 1: and the Department's obligation they're under. What concern was or
Speaker 1: did Todd Blanche express concerns as far as releasing documents?
Speaker 1: What was he saying? And to this Harme Dillon jumps in,
Speaker 1: I'm just going to point out that you can answer
Speaker 1: that to the extent that it doesn't reveal protective communication. Bondie,
Speaker 1: I can say I believe everyone was concerned about protecting
Speaker 1: victim identity given the six million pages of documents that
Speaker 1: was received and only a thirty day timeline to comply
Speaker 1: with the process. Mister Emmer and we're going to talk
Speaker 1: more in detail about what was produced, But to start,
Speaker 1: how did Department of Justice initially gather or collect necessary
Speaker 1: documents or material that complied with the Epstein File Transparency Act. Bondie,
Speaker 1: can you repeat that question? How did the Department of
Speaker 1: Justice initially gather or collect the necessary documents or material
Speaker 1: that complied with the Epstein File Transparency Act. Answer, Well,
Speaker 1: as I stated earlier, the Department made motions to unsealed
Speaker 1: things that were previously withheld from the US by the
Speaker 1: courts and requested everything we possibly could, which is why
Speaker 1: there was an over collection in documents as well as
Speaker 1: from the jurisdictions. And again that included the death of Epstein,
Speaker 1: Glenn Maxwell's case, both of all of Epstein's cases in
Speaker 1: the multiple jurisdictions. Question, to the best of your knowledge,
Speaker 1: what was the process to determine which documents and material
Speaker 1: fell under the Epstein File Transparency Act. Answer? I believe
Speaker 1: we collected everything possible out there related to Epstein, which
Speaker 1: is why there was such an over collection as well.
Speaker 1: Question and again, then Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was
Speaker 1: overseeing the efforts. Is that right? Answer? Yes, Todd Blanche
Speaker 1: oversaw the entire investigation, and he has made multiple statements
Speaker 1: and done multiple interviews regarding that. All right, folks, we're
Speaker 1: gonna wrap up right here, and in the next episode,
Speaker 1: we're gonna pick up where we left off. All the
Speaker 1: information that goes with this episode can be found in
Speaker 1: the description box. What's up, everyone, and welcome to another
Speaker 1: episode of the Epstein chronicles. In this episode, we're going
Speaker 1: to get right back to Pam Bondy and the transcript
Speaker 1: from her meeting with Congress. Question, so let's talk about
Speaker 1: that day timeline was a Department of Justice able to
Speaker 1: produce all documents within the thirty days? Bondy, No, And
Speaker 1: that is when I became more involved, because we had
Speaker 1: over five hundred attorneys I believe, working around the clock
Speaker 1: to do the best we could in good faith to
Speaker 1: release as many documents as we could within thirty days
Speaker 1: while protecting the identity of the victims. And I do
Speaker 1: recall very vividly that these lawyers were working over Christmas
Speaker 1: New Year's holidays to get that done, some late into
Speaker 1: the night, I mean one two am. Question. And you
Speaker 1: mentioned five hundred attorneys, Bondy plus question, where did they
Speaker 1: come from? Bondy? They came from our National Security Division.
Speaker 1: They came from I believe SDNY, the Northern District of
Speaker 1: New York and Florida. Todd Blanche recruited attorneys within our
Speaker 1: office to come in and complete this herculean task of
Speaker 1: millions of documents within thirty days, to the best that
Speaker 1: we could to protect victims. Question. I would presume that
Speaker 1: the five hundred attorneys had other roles and responsibilities that
Speaker 1: they were to handle at the department during the period.
Speaker 1: Answer they absolutely did. Yes. Question were their concerns about
Speaker 1: diverting resources? Answer? Yes, And to clarify, some may have
Speaker 1: taken this on full time, but I believe many of
Speaker 1: them had other roles going on at the same time
Speaker 1: as well. Emmer, we've had another member join us. Can
Speaker 1: he please identify himself for the record, mister Kana, Rocana, California, seventeen. Emmer,
Speaker 1: and I know that you've already mentioned how many documents
Speaker 1: were produced, but again for the public. How many total
Speaker 1: documents or materials did the Department of Justice produce to
Speaker 1: the public pursuant to the Epstein File Transparency Act BONDI
Speaker 1: approximately three million? Question? And there has been public statements.
Speaker 1: I believe that then Deputy Attorney General Blanche had said
Speaker 1: at one point there were six million total potentially responsive material.
Speaker 1: Is that right, BONDI, He did, and he's clarified that
Speaker 1: multiple times, I believe, publicly indicating that a lot much
Speaker 1: of it was duplicative because it was coming from two districts,
Speaker 1: some was privileged, and also he stated that some of
Speaker 1: the material had absolutely nothing to do with Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein,
Speaker 1: it was over collection in an effort to ensure radical
Speaker 1: transparency for the country questions. So, to be clear, there
Speaker 1: has been a lot said in accusations that the Department
Speaker 1: didn't produce everything. Attorney General BONDI, are there any documents
Speaker 1: remaining in possession of the Department of Justice that are
Speaker 1: required to be released pursuant to the Epstein File Transparency Act? Answer?
Speaker 1: To my knowledge, they've all been released, to my knowledge. Question,
Speaker 1: why do people keep asking for the files to be released?
Speaker 1: In answer, the unredacted versions are also available to members
Speaker 1: of Congress, including duplicative material. So and I believe that's
Speaker 1: still available, so people can so Congress can go and
Speaker 1: see it for themselves. The six million pages versus why
Speaker 1: three million was released and much of it was duplicative
Speaker 1: or privileged or completely unrelated to Jeffrey Epstein. At this time,
Speaker 1: I would like to introduce what will be marked as
Speaker 1: Majority Exhibit number three. And this is a letter that
Speaker 1: was sent from the Department of Justice to Senators and
Speaker 1: members of Congress on January thirtieth. Mister Emmer, I would
Speaker 1: also like to introduce what will be marked as majority
Speaker 1: exhibit for This is also a letter that was sent
Speaker 1: on February fourteenth of twenty twenty six. Emmer, and I'll
Speaker 1: give you a moment to review. Attorney General BONDI, you've
Speaker 1: had a chance to review the documents. These are the
Speaker 1: notifications that you provided Congress pursuant to the Epstein File
Speaker 1: Transparency Act. Answer yes, question and again you touched on
Speaker 1: it previously. But there were certain categories of documents that
Speaker 1: were not produced. Is that right? Answer? Yes? Question and
Speaker 1: again you I believe one class was duplicative documents. And
Speaker 1: for the record, I know that you've been an attorney
Speaker 1: for many years. Can you just expels again what qualifies
Speaker 1: as duplicative documents? Answer? Sure, the same document being released twice,
Speaker 1: and that occurred, I believe because there were documents in
Speaker 1: multiple districts within the country, specifically, I believe the Southern
Speaker 1: District of Florida and the Southern District of New York.
Speaker 1: Question and understanding that then Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche
Speaker 1: was overseeing the efforts, did he ever brief you on
Speaker 1: how many documents were considered to be duplicative? Answered? Not specifically,
Speaker 1: but I believe it was approximately three million. I believe.
Speaker 1: Oh duplicative. No, I don't. I'm sorry, I don't recall
Speaker 1: how many were duplicative? Question And there were certain documents
Speaker 1: that were privileged? Answer? Yes, question can you elaborate more
Speaker 1: on why those can't be produced? Answer? I can give
Speaker 1: you an example, which would be a prosecution memo was privileged.
Speaker 1: Question and who made that determination whether a document was
Speaker 1: considered to be privileged? Answer Todd Blanche while following the law,
Speaker 1: and Todd Blanche never approached you about any specific document
Speaker 1: as it relates to privilege, Bondy. Probably, I don't recall specifically,
Speaker 1: but we probably talked about it. I talked to him
Speaker 1: every day about multiple issues around the country and the world. Question,
Speaker 1: and I know you touched on this previously. But the
Speaker 1: Department of Justice, according to the letters, said that they
Speaker 1: were certain files that were being withheld that are not
Speaker 1: part of the case file for Epstein or Maxwell and
Speaker 1: we're completely unrelated to the case. Is that right? Answer? Yes,
Speaker 1: question can you give us an example of what that
Speaker 1: would be? What would have been captured by that? Answer Bondie.
Speaker 1: I believe an example that Todd Blanche used. Was there
Speaker 1: was someone else in South Florida with the name of Epstein,
Speaker 1: an entire case that had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaker 1: That would be an example of it. Question and for
Speaker 1: the record, recognizing that you had to conduct a search
Speaker 1: and have produced millions of documents, if those documents were
Speaker 1: determined to have nothing to do with Epstein or Maxwell case,
Speaker 1: why were they originally included in this search that the
Speaker 1: Department of Justice conducted. Answer? We wanted to have radical
Speaker 1: transparency and find everything that was related to Jeffrey Epstein,
Speaker 1: and that's why the search was overboard. Question thank you.
Speaker 1: I want to talk about the redactions that were in
Speaker 1: the files. What was the Department of Justice redaction process
Speaker 1: for documents released under the Epstein File Transparency Act. Answer?
Speaker 1: I believe that it listed is one of Todd Blanche's memos,
Speaker 1: and he was in charge of the process and the
Speaker 1: entire release of the Epstein files. Question and during the
Speaker 1: process when you were preparing documents to be produced, were
Speaker 1: their concerns about what should or should not be redacted? Answer?
Speaker 1: I believe so. Question did you have concerns BONDI yeah,
Speaker 1: I have grave concerns about victim's names being released because
Speaker 1: of the volume of documents and the timeframe in which
Speaker 1: those documents had to be released, and I believe most
Speaker 1: people in the office shared those concerns. Question and were
Speaker 1: the guidelines in place for DOJ employees on how to
Speaker 1: make redactions? Answer? I believe Deputy Attorney General Blanche now
Speaker 1: Acting Attorney General Blanche let out those guidelines for their reviewers,
Speaker 1: the attorney who reviewed the material, and I believe some
Speaker 1: of it the protocol is listed in the memos as well.
Speaker 1: Question are you aware of whether the DOJ employees tasked
Speaker 1: with conducting redactions whether they had to undergo any kind
Speaker 1: of training? Answer? I don't recall, I believe so, I'm
Speaker 1: not certain. Question and I recognize that you may have
Speaker 1: briefly touched on this, But were there any criteria for
Speaker 1: the attorneys that were selected to make the redactions? Answer?
Speaker 1: Criteria about the attorneys themselves? Question as far as the
Speaker 1: five hundred attorneys that were selected to contribute to the effort?
Speaker 1: Answer yeah, as our recall, we used many from our
Speaker 1: National Security Division because they're highly qualified and also deal
Speaker 1: with protecting victims and confidential information on a routine basis.
Speaker 1: But as well as prosecutors from multiple jurisdictions. But how
Speaker 1: they were specifically chosen, I'm not sure. Question Attorney General Bondi,
Speaker 1: did you yourself ever redact documents produced under the Epstein
Speaker 1: File Transparency Act? Answer? No. Question were you consulted as
Speaker 1: to whether or not something should be redacted? Answer? I
Speaker 1: don't believe so. Emmer. I would now like to introduce
Speaker 1: what will be marked majority Exhibit five, and I'll give
Speaker 1: you a moment to review. Question. This is the Department
Speaker 1: of Justice memorandum dated January fourth, twenty twenty six, entitled
Speaker 1: Attorney Review Protocol for Epstein Files. Bondi, Yeah, and this
Speaker 1: is from the Deputy Attorney General's office. Yeah. Question Attorney
Speaker 1: General Bondi, do you recognize the document? Answer? Yes, I
Speaker 1: have not read it in its entirety. Question is this
Speaker 1: document that you were referring to when I asked you
Speaker 1: whether there was a process for DOJ employees to redact? Answer? Yes,
Speaker 1: you asked about training. Yeah, and this is a very
Speaker 1: detailed memo as to what specifically under the law can
Speaker 1: be released and what should be redacted. Question. According to
Speaker 1: the document, and specifically on the top of page six,
Speaker 1: there is a highly confidential list of victim names that
Speaker 1: must be redacted. Are you aware of a list of
Speaker 1: victim names that needed to be redacted? Bondi yeah, not
Speaker 1: specifically what victim, but I believe that list kept growing
Speaker 1: as well. Question, and I believe that you mentioned this before.
Speaker 1: This was one of your main concerns as part of
Speaker 1: producing the documents under the EFTA. Is that right? Bondy Yes.
Speaker 1: Question or any victims or their attorneys contacted for the
Speaker 1: creation of this list? Bondi, I believe so. Question was
Speaker 1: the Department of Justice contacted by victims or their attorneys
Speaker 1: to create the list? Answer? I believe so. I also
Speaker 1: believe the list was ongoing and while the redactions were
Speaker 1: being done, I recall, we would receive more victim names. Therefore,
Speaker 1: the attorneys doing the redactions would have to go back
Speaker 1: and search for the additional names as well. Question what
Speaker 1: information would have been used to inform the list of
Speaker 1: victim names after the redaction? Bondy, I don't recall. Question
Speaker 1: is it safe to assume that Todd Blanche would have
Speaker 1: been the individual who would have approved the list? Answer yes.
Speaker 1: Question understanding the time constraints related to thirty days of
Speaker 1: redacting millions of pages of documents. It seems that there
Speaker 1: was some redaction mistakes. Is that correct? And these redaction
Speaker 1: mistakes were both under inclusive and overinclusive? How did that happen? Answer?
Speaker 1: I believe given the volume of documents, and again the
Speaker 1: intense short timeframe in which hundreds of lawyers were working
Speaker 1: around the clock, even on holidays to get these documents out,
Speaker 1: there were mistakes. I believe Todd Blanche said it was
Speaker 1: about one percent error rate. But I would say we
Speaker 1: all believe that if one victim's name is inadvertently released,
Speaker 1: that's a failure. Question If the department was made aware
Speaker 1: of a mistake, how did it respond? Answer by correcting
Speaker 1: that mistake as fast as we could. Question and again,
Speaker 1: would that have been fall into then Deputy Attorney General
Speaker 1: Todd Blanche? Answer yes? Question did he brief you on
Speaker 1: certain mistakes? Answer? Not specifically, just that I recall when
Speaker 1: a victim's name. Everyone was upset when a victim's name
Speaker 1: got released inadvertently. Question as far as the victims themselves
Speaker 1: and those that may have been inadvertently unredacted in the files,
Speaker 1: did they reach out to you? Answer? I don't believe so.
Speaker 1: And I believe I saw online one victim's name and
Speaker 1: she said she her name had been released, and that
Speaker 1: was really the extent of my involvement on that. I
Speaker 1: called Todd right away instead of victim is saying her
Speaker 1: name was released and it shouldn't have been, but it
Speaker 1: would have been something that I saw online. Question did
Speaker 1: the Department of Justice have any avenues for individuals whose
Speaker 1: names may have been redacted or unredacted in the files
Speaker 1: to reach out to the department and remedy the situation.
Speaker 1: Answer I don't recall that process, how that process worked,
Speaker 1: and that could have been done with the FBI. Question
Speaker 1: was there a team in charge of checking for and
Speaker 1: correcting any errors made in the release of the files? Answer? Yes,
Speaker 1: done in the direction of Todd Blanche. Question do you
Speaker 1: have any idea of how many corrections were made? Answer?
Speaker 1: I don't. All right, folks, we're gonna wrap up right here,
Speaker 1: and in the next episode dealing with the topic, we're
Speaker 1: gonna pick up where we left off. All the information
Speaker 1: that goes with this episode can be found in the
Speaker 1: description box.