Former US attorney general Pam Bondi has began closed-door testimony before politicians on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation in a downgraded appearance that frustrated Democrats and survivors, who accuse the Trump administration of withholding details in the sex offender's case.
Ms Bondi was giving evidence to the House Oversight Committee in a transcribed interview rather than a sworn, video-taped deposition, despite bipartisan demands for answers over her handling of the Justice Department files on the disgraced financier.
The wider controversy has dogged President Donald Trump for much of his second term, with Democrats, Epstein survivors and some Republicans accusing officials of covering up the full record of the case, despite the Justice Department's insistence that it has released everything it is legally obliged to make public.
"No more lies. No more cover-ups. It's time for Pam Bondi to answer our questions," top oversight Democrat Robert Garcia posted on social media ahead of the hearing.
Ms Bondi became a central figure in the Epstein saga after saying last year that the late financier's so-called client list was on her desk for review.
The Justice Department and FBI later said there was no such list and no plans to release further information.
Mr Trump fired Ms Bondi in April as frustration mounted over her handling of the controversy, although she was later named to a presidential science and technology council.
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Politicians on the Oversight Committee voted in March to subpoena Ms Bondi as part of their Epstein investigation, an unusual rebuke of a sitting Trump administration official by members of the president's own party.
But the committee's Republican chairman, James Comer, later shifted her appearance from a deposition to a transcribed interview - meaning it will not be video-taped or conducted under oath.
Mr Garcia has argued that the change violates the spirit of the subpoena and denies the public a clear view of Ms Bondi's testimony.
He also questioned the role of assistant attorney general Harmeet Dhillon, who was expected to accompany Ms Bondi despite still serving at the Justice Department, saying her participation raised "serious ethical concerns and conflicts of interest".
Mr Comer defended the format, saying Ms Bondi had cooperated more quickly than other witnesses.
"She's coming in. She didn't do like the Clintons and take seven months to come in. I mean, she could have fought it," he told reporters as Ms Bondi's testimony was about to start.
Epstein survivors - wearing t-shirts partially blacked out to represent the many redacted pages of the Epstein files - gathered outside the hearing room, calling for transparency and demanding that Ms Bondi answer questions publicly and under oath.
