Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie weigh 'inherent contempt' against Pam Bondi over Epstein files delay
BREAKING: Republican Congressman @RepThomasMassie just said he and @RoKhanna are drafting inherent contempt against Pam Bondi over the Epstein files.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) December 21, 2025
This means Congress could use their own constitutional power to punish Bondi for defying them without the courts, without DOJ… pic.twitter.com/NxYxIIrI4c
WASHINGTON, DC: Representatives and co-authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, appeared on ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday, December 21, to discuss the Justice Department’s delay in releasing files and documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
As per the act drafted by the representatives, the DOJ had until December 20 to release all material related to Epstein in a “searchable and downloadable” format for the American public. However, even before the clock ran out, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had said that the DOJ would release all records over the next few weeks.
While speaking to CBS News' Margaret Brennan, Khanna and Massie vowed to hold the Justice Department accountable and said that they were discussing the possibility of charging Attorney General Pam Bondi with “inherent contempt.”
Ro Khanna slams Pam Bondi for ‘breaking the law’
Margaret Brennan asked both representatives about Todd Blanche’s recent remarks, where he urged “Massie and other congressmen” to gun for Pam Bondi to “bring it on.” Khanna responded that they only needed the House for “inherent contempt” against the Attorney General, noting that they were building a bipartisan coalition.
Khanna added that this coalition would fine the Attorney General for “every day that she’s not releasing” materials related to Epstein.
The Democratic representative added that the way the DOJ was handling the documents was a “slap in the face” because one of the survivors claimed that the Justice Department accidentally released her name but not the FBI file about her culprits, despite her request.
He accused the DOJ of covering up for the “rich and powerful” people involved in the case and said Bondi was “breaking the law” instead of holding them accountable.
Khanna added that he believed they could get the bipartisan support to hold Bondi accountable.
“A committee of Congress should determine whether these redactions are justified,” he added.
Thomas Massie says DOJ was ‘flouting the spirit’ of law
When asked about the partial release of the Epstein files, Brennan asked Thomas Massie whether the DOJ was complying with the “spirit, if not the intent” of the law. Massie disagreed, noting that they were “flouting the spirit” and the letter of the law. He added that he wouldn’t be satisfied until the Epstein survivors were satisfied.
He revealed that the survivors had given the names of witnesses and suspects to the FBI that were not mentioned in the files. He added that the DOJ decided to follow pre-existing laws over the Epstein Files Transparency Act. However, the Khanna-Massie law required the DOJ to “release information regardless of embarrassment.”
He added that the DOJ was using a “FOIA standard” that didn’t apply to the Epstein files to justify the lack of documents detailing internal communications.
