Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, has been formally subpoenaed to appear before a House panel to answer questions about the justice department’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and its release of the Epstein files.

The move came amid growing criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over the justice department’s compliance with a law passed last year requiring the full release of Epstein-related files.

Lawmakers have raised concerns that some disclosures exposed personal information about survivors, and have also accused the Department of Justice of improperly withholding and redacting material in violation of the law, including the names of people who may have committed crimes.

James Comer, chair of the House oversight and government reform committee, wrote in the subpoena letter that there were “questions regarding the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act”.