Attorney General Pam Bondi pulled out of an anti-trafficking summit on Wednesday, amid continued questions about President Donald Trump’s alleged connections to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and how much the Justice Department knew about it.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti delivered a statement from Bondi while appearing in her stead at the conservative activist organization CPAC’s Summit Against Human Trafficking in Washington, D.C.
“Unfortunately, I am recovering from a recently torn cornea, which is preventing me from being with you,” the statement read, according to Fox News. “I truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue.”
Bondi’s absence from the conference comes as the White House and Justice Department are facing increased scrutiny over their handling of documents related to disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Epstein.
During the briefing, Bondi also apparently told the president that appearing in the records was not “a sign of wrongdoing” and that a number of “other high-profile figures” were also named in the documents, which WSJ reports Bondi and officials said they felt contained “unverified hearsay.”
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Last week, Trump told reporters that Bondi had not made him aware that his name was in the DOJ’s investigation materials and alleged the files were “made up” by former FBI director James Comey and former President Barack Obama.
But in a statement to WSJ on Friday, Bondi and deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, confirmed the briefing had taken place, saying the president was “made aware of the findings” during part of a “routine briefing.”
The revelation comes as Trump has grown increasingly disgruntled by the public attention on the Epstein files and frustration within his base over reversing course on campaign promises to release the documents.