WASHINGTON, D.C.: Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not appear for a scheduled deposition next week before a House committee investigating the government's handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Jessica Collins, a spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, said on April 8 that the Department of Justice hinted that Bondi would not appear for the deposition on April 14 as she is no longer attorney general and had been subpoenaed when she was one. Trump had fired her last week.

The committee will reach out to Bondi's lawyer to decide the next steps for scheduling her interview.

Bondi has been under criticism for how the Justice Department handled the Epstein files. A Republican-led committee, with support from both parties, issued a subpoena to her last month. The department released millions of documents related to Epstein, a late financier who abused underage girls, but the release had several mistakes and missed a deadline set by Congress.

After Trump announced on April 2 that Bondi would be removed from his Cabinet, she said on social media that she would spend the next month helping with the transition. However, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has been moved into the top role, at least temporarily, and is carrying out the duties. As of April 8, the Justice Department's website still listed Bondi as attorney general.

Some Republicans who supported the subpoena, along with Democrats, said they still expect Bondi to appear before the committee.

Rep. Nancy Mace, who pushed for the subpoena, said Bondi cannot avoid responsibility just because she is no longer attorney general. She added that the subpoena was issued to her personally, not just in her official capacity, and that they expect her to appear once a new date is set.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee, also said he would work to enforce the subpoena. He warned that if Bondi does not appear, he may seek contempt-of-Congress charges.

In a statement, he said that Bondi is trying to avoid her legal duty to testify about the Epstein files and an alleged White House cover-up now that she has been fired.

The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, has also enforced subpoenas this year against Bill and Hillary Clinton, making them among the highest-ranking former officials ever called to testify before Congress.