U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing a medical issue, abruptly canceled her appearance at an anti-trafficking event amid public outcry over her handling of the Epstein files and renewed

US President Donald Trump continues his pressure campaign on Jerome Powell as the Justice Department turns to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Todd Blanche, the number two at the DOJ, spent the day in a Florida prison talking to convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. MSNBC’s Antonia Hylton reports and is joined by MSNBC legal analyst Joyce Vance and Norm Eisen,

Trump had directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “any and all pertinent" grand jury documents as pressure continues to mount on the administration over Epstein.

A House Oversight subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. The motion passed by a vote of 8-2. Notably, three GOP lawmakers -- Reps. Nancy Mace, Scott Perry and Brian Jack -- joined with Democrats on the subcommittee to approve the subpoena, defying Republican leadership.

Attorney General Pam Bondi notified President Trump months ago that he was named in the Jeffrey Epstein files, multiple outlets reported Wednesday. The big picture: The Department of Justice called the reports false.

The Department of Justice said Tuesday it has reached out to Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell for a meeting amid backlash over the administration’s handling of files related to Epstein.

Democrats plan to argue that not releasing the Epstein files means Republicans are protecting the rich and powerful at voters’ expense.