Pam Bondi, who served as attorney general during the Trump administration, has given evidence in a congressional investigation connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.
Bondi was removed from the top law enforcement role in April.
After leaving Donald Trump’s administration, Bondi was later diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
She has now appeared before a congressional committee examining matters tied to Epstein, the convicted sex offender.
Epstein cultivated relationships with numerous high-profile and influential people, and Bondi’s testimony focuses on how the US Justice Department handled the release of records linked to Epstein’s estate.
The session is taking place in Washington, DC, and is being conducted behind closed doors, though video and transcripts could be released publicly at a later date.
NBC News obtained what it describes as a copy of Bondi’s opening statement, in which she said the department made “redaction errors” when publishing Epstein-related records, while insisting that the remaining withheld material was “either non-responsive, privileged, or duplicative”.
In the documents NBC reviewed, Bondi also said she was “proud” of how the release from Epstein’s estate was handled.
“We demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to transparency in the Department’s search for, collection, and review of the Epstein files, producing nearly 3 million pages of material, including thousands of videos and hundreds of thousands of images,” the documents said.
They added: “There were redaction errors. But since day one of this process, this Department has been committed to accountability and transparency.
“Our stance has always been that the Department stands ready to review any potential evidence of criminal activity related to Epstein and his associates and would pursue appropriate investigative or prosecutorial action wherever the facts and law warrant.”
Representative James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, said ahead of the hearing that lawmakers would be looking into whether additional documents can be provided legally.
“We’re going to try to determine whether or not there could be more documents legally turned over.
“I want every document. I don’t want anything held back and I think the majority of the committee’s the same way.”
Epstein has long drawn scrutiny due to his extensive ties to wealthy and prominent figures.
A number of public names have appeared in, or been linked through photographs and references within, documents released so far — including Donald Trump.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to his past association with Epstein and has previously said he sought to distance himself from him.