House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday over her handling of the Epstein files.

The committee voted to approve the subpoena requiring Bondi to appear for a deposition over the Department of Justice's handling of the investigation and in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

In the subpoena, Comer said Bondi's deposition could "inform legislative solutions" to improve the government's response to sex trafficking and to "reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements" related to sex crimes.

'This subpoena is completely unnecessary.'

Although the subpoena refrained from harshly criticizing Bondi, it was ultimately greenlit on March 4 by committee Republicans who have expressed concerns about Bondi's leadership.

Every committee Democrat voted in favor of the subpoena, as well as Republican Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Michael Cloud of Texas, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The DOJ called the subpoena "completely unnecessary," arguing that Bondi has "made herself available" to lawmakers with respect to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

“This subpoena is completely unnecessary," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. "Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress."

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

"She continues to have calls and meetings with members of Congress on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is why the Department offered to brief the committee tomorrow," the spokesperson added. "As always, we look forward to continuing to provide policymakers with the facts.”

Bondi is now called on to appear before the committee on April 14.

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Scandal-plagued Texas congressman forced into runoff rematch — after barely escaping defeat last time

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) faced a primary rematch against firearms influencer Brandon Herrera for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District seat on Tuesday — and will have to face him yet again.

Gonzales, who narrowly defeated Herrera in a 2024 runoff race, will once again battle Herrera in a runoff election on May 26 after neither candidate received more than 50% of the primary vote on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, unofficial election results showed Gonzales with roughly 41.6% of the vote and Herrera with 43%.

'I think the voters in Texas are going to speak pretty loudly.'

The incumbent’s re-election campaign came under scrutiny in September when one of his staffers, Regina Santos-Aviles, committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Allegations soon surfaced that Gonzales and Santos-Aviles had been having an affair.

While Gonzales dismissed the claims as smear tactics, some Republican lawmakers called on him to resign after explicit text messages he allegedly sent to Santos-Aviles were leaked to the public in late February.

Gonzales has refused to step down, stating, “What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”

Gonzales secured endorsements from several Republican politicians, including President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), Rep. Steve Scalise (La.), and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.). Trump reposted his endorsements on Friday, but notably omitted Gonzales.

Tony Gonzales. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Herrera, Gonzales’ most prominent competitor, received endorsements from several Republican members of Congress, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Rep. Eli Crane (Ariz.), Rep. Chip Roy (Texas), and Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.).

Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.) predicted ahead of the primary election that Gonzales would lose.

“I think the voters in Texas are going to speak pretty loudly. And I would guess that his days are numbered in Congress,” Haridopolos stated.

Brandon Herrera. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Herrera’s internal poll showed him receiving 45% of the vote, up 24 points ahead of Gonzales.

At the time the polls closed in Texas, 7:00 p.m. local time, bettors on Kalshi Markets gave Herrera a 95% chance of winning the election.

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Hillary Clinton’s Epstein deposition goes off the rails after leaked photo triggers meltdown

The House Oversight Committee's first closed-door hearing with the Clintons concerning their ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein encountered a brief snag moments into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's deposition.

Members of the committee traveled to Chappaqua, New York, this week to depose Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, after months of back-and-forth negotiations and a vote finding the two in contempt of Congress.

'Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a picture. Does this sound desperate to you?'

Hillary Clinton was scheduled to testify under oath on Thursday and Bill Clinton on Friday.

After initially defying congressional subpoenas and then pressing the committee to hold public hearings, Hillary Clinton's team abruptly halted Thursday's closed-door deposition when a photograph of her from the session was leaked on social media.

The picture of Clinton was shared by political commentator Benny Johnson, who stated that it was provided to him by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).

"This is the first time Hillary has had to answer real questions about Epstein. Clinton does not look happy," Johnson wrote.

Photo by Melina Mara - Pool/Getty Images

A short time later, Nick Merrill, a Clinton adviser, exited the deposition hearing to address the media. He explained that the session had been temporarily paused after a photograph was posted to social media, which he described as being "against chamber rules that were read at the top of the meeting."

Johnson responded to Merrill's announcement by highlighting the inconsistency: Clinton had advocated for a public hearing, yet her team was displeased with the release of a photograph.

"The deposition is being filmed and will be released in full. Hillary wanted it to be done LIVE on TV. Rep. Boebert gave me permission to post a photo she took before the hearing started with credit," Johnson wrote in a post on X. "Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a picture. Does this sound desperate to you?"

Boebert replied to Johnson's comments, defending him for posting the photo of Clinton.

"Benny did nothing wrong," she wrote, adding that the deposition had proceeded after the temporary pause.

Ahead of Thursday's deposition, Clinton posted her opening statement on social media. She insisted that she has no information regarding Epstein's criminal activities or those of co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

"As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices," Clinton wrote.

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

She accused House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) of refusing to hold any public hearings regarding Epstein.

"You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions," she stated.

Comer has not ruled out holding public hearings, but has insisted that initial depositions will be behind closed doors.

Maxwell previously stated that she had gone to the Clintons' Chappaqua home "a few times." Maxwell also attended the wedding of the Clintons' daughter in 2010.

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'Really disgusting': Damning alleged texts prompt Republicans to call for scandal-ridden Tony Gonzales' resignation

A growing number of Republican lawmakers are calling for Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales (R) to resign after damning text messages he apparently exchanged with a now-deceased staffer have come to light.

Gonzales first came under scrutiny in September after one of his district staffers, Regina Santos-Aviles, set herself on fire outside her Uvalde home, passing away from her injuries the following day. The Daily Mail later published an expose alleging an affair between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles, which he repeatedly brushed off as "personal smears."

'I am so sick of people not calling this crap out.'

The scandal recently resurfaced after news broke that back in April, several months before her death, Santos-Aviles apparently messaged a co-worker claiming to have had an "affair" with their "boss."

Despite Gonzales' attempts to shut down the story, another flurry of explicit texts that appear to be from the congressman to Santos-Aviles have only exacerbated the scandal.

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The newly released text messages appear to show Gonzales pressuring Santos-Aviles to "send [him] a sexy pic" and asking her to name her "favorite position." Santos-Aviles seemed to push back on his advances, saying she didn't "like taking pictures" of herself and that his line of questioning was "going too far boss."

Attorney Robert Barrera — who is representing Santos-Aviles' widower, Adrian Aviles — told Blaze News that these messages "appear valid." Blaze News also reached out to Aviles to confirm the validity of the messages.

Gonzales' office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

As the scandal reaches a fever pitch, more and more Republicans are pressuring the Texas congressman to resign and bow out of his primary race against Brendon Herrera, a gun YouTuber who nearly unseated Gonzales in 2024.

"The entire Texas delegation, as well as every single other Member of Congress, should be condemning a sitting Member of Congress asking for explicit photos of their staff," Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said in a post on X. "As a woman, this is really disgusting to see. Not to mention, it brings dishonor on the House of Representatives."

"I am so sick of people not calling this crap out," Luna added. "Again, like I’ve said before, this is not the only case of this crap up here. [Tony Gonzales], shame on you."

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) offered a succinct response to the apparent messages: "RESIGN!"

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) fell short of calling for Gonzales' resignation but rather said he would need to address the allegations. Notably President Donald Trump endorsed Gonzales in December following the initial scandal and has not yet rescinded his endorsement.

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'Maybe I should endorse Jasmine Crockett': Lauren Boebert jokes with, praises James Talarico amid heated Texas primary

Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado complimented the U.S. Senate campaign of Texas Democrat James Talarico — and even delivered a humorous jab at his opponent, Democrat U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Boebert appeared alongside Talarico on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday, talking about everything from faith to Talarico's infamously pulled Stephen Colbert interview. Boebert also extended a compliment to the congressman, noting that his Senate candidacy has been impressive and joked about giving him a leg up ahead of the primary against Crockett.

'My concern is not for my campaign, it's for the Constitution.'

"I do want to congratulate you on the success so far in your campaign," Boebert told Talarico before adding, "Maybe I should endorse Jasmine Crockett so you could do a little better!"

Talarico, Maher, and the crowd laughed in response.

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Boebert also set the record straight in the aftermath of Talarico's interview with Colbert, noting that Crockett's analysis — that the federal government had nothing to do with the decision to pull the interview — was correct.

“It wasn’t President Trump that canceled your segment," Boebert said. "This is one area where Miss Crockett is correct. This was a decision by the network. They didn’t want to have her on, possibly. They didn’t want to have that equal time.”

Boebert added, "But I also think that the way it was aired — I mean you got over five million views. You raised 2.5 million dollars in 24 hours, so it was a pretty big success for you."

Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images

Talarico and Boebert also sparred over the pulled Colbert interview, with the Texas Democrat claiming it was a top-down order from President Donald Trump.

"My concern is not for my campaign, it's for the Constitution," Talarico said.

"Right, but it wasn't the president who said 'Do not allow this to air ...'" Boebert replied. "It was equal share time. It was already in the rules. And that network said, 'We do not want to have the equal share. We don't want to fulfill that part of the rule.'"

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'You're a piece of s**t': Nancy Mace and Cory Mills clash in heated exchange after failed censure

Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R) evaded another censure effort Wednesday night, but not without some heated criticism from a Republican colleague.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina forced a censure vote on Mills Wednesday over "alleged stolen valor, arms deals he's under investigation for and alleged abuses toward women." Mace also went after Mills after a handful of Republicans blocked the censure of Democrat Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, who colluded with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing.

'The more we learn about this guy and his purported activities, the worse it is.'

Mace alleged that Plaskett's censure failed because Mills cut a "backroom deal" to suppress his own censure. Similar allegations were made toward Mills back in September when he was the deciding vote to protect Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar's censure for the insensitive comments she made following Charlie Kirk's assassination.

"Another backroom deal so Cory Mills can’t get censored [sic] for Stolen Valor," Mace said in a post on X. "I have the General who 'recommended' him for the Bronze Star on record saying he never wrote it, never read it and never personally signed it. This. Is. Washington."

hoto by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The two Republicans reportedly had a heated exchange on the House floor Wednesday night, with Mace calling Mills a "disgrace" and mouthing the words, "You're a piece of s**t."

Mace later addressed these outbursts in a post on X, saying the real scandal is Mills' track record.

"While Rep. Cory Mills is worried about my 'mean' words on the Floor last night — I'm worried about our national security and what sort of arms deals he or his companies have with foreign countries. I'm worried about how court records show he abuses women and had to have a restraining order set against him for it. I'm worried about how stealing the stories of other soldiers constitutes STOLEN VALOR and spits in the faces of veterans who gave it all Hold your tongue and sit this one out Mr. Mills."

The censure vote ultimately failed 310-103, with 204 Republicans and 106 Democrats defending Mills.

Only eight Republicans — Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Kat Cammack of Florida, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, and Mace — voted to advance the censure measure.

Although the censure failed, Mace still called the effort a win.

Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

"Last night was a win with either outcome of the vote," Mace said in a post on X. "Now the Left can't do any more backroom deals with Mills or use Mills as a bargaining chip whenever a Republican moves to censure another. And his investigation has been formally referred to an Ethics Subcommittee."

"However, I pray leadership will remove Mills from his committees until Ethics is done with Mills. The more we learn about this guy and his purported activities, the worse it is."

Blaze News reached out to Mills' office for comment.

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House GOP subpoenas Pam Bondi over Epstein files

Scandal-plagued Texas congressman forced into runoff rematch — after barely escaping defeat last time

Hillary Clinton’s Epstein deposition goes off the rails after leaked photo triggers meltdown

'Really disgusting': Damning alleged texts prompt Republicans to call for scandal-ridden Tony Gonzales' resignation

'Maybe I should endorse Jasmine Crockett': Lauren Boebert jokes with, praises James Talarico amid heated Texas primary

'You're a piece of s**t': Nancy Mace and Cory Mills clash in heated exchange after failed censure

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