Democratic lawmakers have grilled U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the file on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. During an intense hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.
Wednesday’s hearing was titled “U.S. Department of Justice Oversight,” but the Epstein file quickly became the main focus.
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“As attorney general, you side with the perpetrators and ignore the victims,” Democrat Jamie Raskin told Bondi in his opening remarks.
“Unless you change course quickly, that will be your legacy. You are running a massive Epstein cover-up directly from the Department of Justice.”
Since the beginning of his second term, US President Donald Trump and his administration have consistently faced questions over their decisions to withhold or redact documents related to Epstein.
Trump himself has come under the microscope for his personal relationship with a late investor who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting federal prosecution.
At Wednesday’s hearing, women who came forward as survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and their families sat in the audience behind Bondi. Among them were Teresa Helm, Jess Michaels, Lara Bloom McGee, and the families of the late Virginia Giuffre.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal called on Bondi to apologize to Epstein’s victims. She and other Democrats criticized the Trump administration for not meeting with survivors and for heavily redacting the Epstein files that were made public.
“Your department has shown a pattern of redacting the names of powerful predators,” Jayapal said.
She then asked survivors to raise their hands if they were unable to meet with the Justice Department.
“For the record, all the survivors have raised their hands,” Jayapal added.
Bondi rejects criticism
Bondi responded harshly to the criticism she faced, saying she would “not fall into a rift” with Jayapal and her fellow Democrats.
She also accused Republican Rep. Thomas Massey, who spearheaded a bill to force the release of the Epstein files, of having “Trump derangement syndrome.”
Asked if he would investigate the relationship between Trump and Epstein, Bondi said Democrats were using the Epstein case to “distract from all the great things that Donald Trump has done.”
Trump himself has come under fire for calling the Epstein scandal a Democratic “hoax.”
But Al Jazeera correspondent Rosiland Jordan explained that Democrats are trying to capitalize on anger over an issue that crosses party lines.
As it turns out, members of President Trump’s own “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base were among those publicly demanding the release of the government’s Epstein files.
“We believe Congressional Democrats are taking advantage of widespread public disgust with the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein file disclosures,” Jordan reported from the Capitol.
“This is a situation where Democratic officials are trying to get Pam Bondi to apologize for not doing enough, including not fully complying with a new law requiring the Justice Department to release all 6 million pages of evidence in the Epstein case.”
Compliance with the law?
The new law, called the Epstein File Transparency Act, was passed in November with bipartisan support.
The bill would require the Justice Department to release all documents related to Epstein in an easily searchable format.
Although the law allows for some limited redactions to protect victims’ identities, critics argue that large volumes of documents are being released with significant redactions.
Some of those blacked-out sections appear to protect the identities of powerful people connected to Epstein.
Bondi, the Florida prosecutor, defended his record in dealing with sexual abuse in his opening statement Wednesday.
“I have spent my entire career fighting for victims and will continue to do so,” she said.
She added a message for Epstein’s survivors. “I deeply regret what the victims went through, especially what they went through because of that monster.”
But Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the committee, accused Bondi of using the edits to “protect” his abusers and accomplices from “embarrassment and humiliation.”
He also questioned the amount of records released, arguing that they fell short of the full disclosure required by November’s law.
“You have been ordered by subpoena and Congress to turn over more than 6 million documents, photos and videos contained in the Epstein files,” Raskin said.
“But you’ve only submitted 3 million. The other 3 million have some kind of duplication, so you say you’re not going to submit them. But we know there are actual notes of victim statements in there.”
Questions about prosecution
Mr. Bondi also faced questions about numerous investigations and lawsuits brought by the Justice Department against Mr. Trump’s political opponents.
For example, in September, the Justice Department criticized President Trump and announced charges against former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey.
The following month, he also unveiled charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, a politician who won a civil suit against Trump.
Both charges were dropped amid questions about the legality of U.S. Attorney Lindsey Harrigan’s appointment. But these charges and other investigations have fueled criticism that President Trump is using the Justice Department to settle political scores.
On Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon asked Bondy if the administration was creating an “enemy list” based on an October order cracking down on “left-wing terrorism” charges.
Ms. Bondi replied, “I’m not going to promise you anything because you won’t let me answer your questions.”
