ToplineThe Justice Department said Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi will not testify about the Epstein files to Congress next week as scheduled, after she was fired as attorney general—leading Democrats to threaten Bondi with contempt if she doesn’t show up.Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 11.AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsBondi, whom President Donald Trump fired last week as attorney general, has been subpoenaed to testify about the government’s handling of its files on Jeffrey Epstein to the House Oversight Committee on April 14.Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis told the committee in a letter Wednesday since Bondi was subpoenaed “in her official capacity as Attorney General, rather than her personal capacity” and she “no longer holds that office,” the agency’s position is “that the subpoena no longer obligates her to appear on April 14.”Democrats on the House Oversight Committee disputed DOJ’s reasoning, with Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., saying the committee’s subpoena “was to Pam Bondi, whether she is the attorney general or not.”If Bondi does not show up to testify “immediately,” lawmakers “will begin contempt charges” against her, Garcia said.DOJ said in a statement to Forbes that it “remains committed to working cooperatively with the Committee” and reiterated its belief that Bondi is not obligated to testify, but did not comment on Garcia’s suggestion of potential contempt charges.What We Don’t KnowWhat will happen next week. It’s unclear if the threat of contempt could lead Bondi to show up on April 14 as scheduled, and if any GOP lawmakers would support Democrats in bringing contempt charges against her. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee said Wednesday they planned to work with Bondi’s personal counsel to reschedule and have her testify in her personal capacity. It’s unclear when Bondi could testify, if it’s rescheduled, and if that would be enough to keep Democrats from trying to move forward with contempt charges.Key BackgroundBondi’s planned testimony came as the ex-attorney general had come under widespread scrutiny for her handling of the Epstein files before she was ousted last week. After initially promising transparency in releasing the Epstein files, Bondi went on to release very limited materials on Epstein before she and other DOJ officials issued a memo last summer announcing no more materials would be voluntarily released. That memo sparked a widespread outcry that ultimately led to the House Oversight Committee subpoenaing DOJ for its Epstein files and Congress passing legislation that mandated the files’ release. Bondi and DOJ faced continued criticism in how the agency released the files, however, including for continuing to withhold some files, delaying the files’ release and not properly redacting victims’ names. The then-attorney general also garnered scrutiny during a combative hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in February, in which lawmakers from both parties broadly criticized Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files and the attorney general pointedly declined to apologize to Epstein’s victims who were present in the chamber.Further ReadingForbesTrump Fires Pam BondiBy Sara DornForbesPam Bondi Still Under Subpoena Over Epstein Files—Here's What She Must Tell Congress: Wasserman SchultzBy ForbesTVForbesDOJ Says House Panel’s Subpoena Of Bondi In Epstein Probe Is ‘Completely Unnecessary’By Antonio Pequeño IV