What happened
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee yesterday voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department’s handling of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who introduced the motion, and four other Republicans joined the committee’s Democrats in the 24-19 vote to compel Bondi (pictured above) to testify under oath. 

Who said what
The five GOP defections “amounted to a sharp rebuke of Bondi,” The Associated Press said, and underscored the “continued frustration among conservatives” about her compliance with a bipartisan law compelling the release of all DOJ files on Epstein. Being deposed could force Bondi to “contend more seriously with lawmakers’ questions” than at congressional hearings, where she might “perform for live television cameras and fall back on prepared talking points,” The New York Times said. 

Bondi “has been instrumental in orchestrating the White House’s cover-up of the Epstein files” for months, said Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the committee’s top Democrat. Bondi “claims the DOJ has released all of the Epstein files,” Mace said on social media, but “the record is clear: they have not.” The Justice Department said yesterday that 47,635 Epstein files “were offline for further review,” and The Wall Street Journal said those missing documents include FBI notes on interviews with a woman who alleged that both Epstein and President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1980s, when she was a minor.

What next?
Complying with congressional subpoenas “is not optional,” but “several past attorneys general” have refused, The Washington Post said. And it’s up to the DOJ to “prosecute any contempt charges recommended by Congress” for rejecting subpoenas.

What happened
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), a married father of six, acknowledged for the first time yesterday that he had an affair with a congressional staffer who died in September after setting herself on fire. He had previously denied having a sexual relationship with the woman, Regina Santos-Aviles. Hours before Gonzales (pictured above) made his admission during a radio interview, the House Ethics Committee said it had opened an investigation into his conduct. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) yesterday filed a resolution to censure Gonzales, and several other Republicans have called on him to resign or abandon his re-election bid. 

Who said what
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment” and “take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales told conservative radio host Joe Pagliarulo. “I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has.” Gonzales said he “had absolutely nothing to do” with Santos-Avila’s “tragic passing.” But he “spent only a few moments expressing contrition before lashing out at the media, his political opponents and the widower of the aide,” The New York Times said. 

The scandal — fueled by leaked text messages in which Gonzales appeared to pressure Santos-Avila to send him a “sexy pic” and her favorite sexual positions — “dogged him through his bitter GOP primary race” and helped force him into a May runoff, The Washington Post said. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have both endorsed Gonzales.

What next?
The Ethics Committee said it is investigating whether Gonzales “engaged in sexual misconduct toward an individual employed in his congressional office” and “discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.” Luna said she had reviewed fresh evidence that Gonzales forced a relationship on his subordinate, and “I will just tell you that there’s a lot there.” She said she had no doubt her censure resolution would pass.