12/02/2026 – 10:33 GMT+1
Pam Bondi faced fierce criticism in the US Congress over redaction errors in Epstein documents, clashed with lawmakers and did not directly apologise to survivors during a heated hearing on Wednesday.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi argued with Democratic lawmakers during a combative congressional hearing on Wednesday dominated by questions over the Justice Department’s botched release of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Bondi also declined to face Epstein survivors seated behind her when asked to apologise for the department’s failure to redact victims’ names, while heavily redacting information about other individuals mentioned in the files.
During her opening remarks, Bondi told Epstein’s victims that she was “deeply sorry” for what they endured and urged them to report their abuse to law enforcement.
Yet Bondi responded, “I’m not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics,” after being pressed by Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat, who had asked survivors unable to meet with the US Justice Department to stand and raise their hands. Multiple women did so.
The attorney general also traded barbs with several lawmakers during the more than five-hour hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, calling top Democrat Jamie Raskin a “washed-up loser lawyer” and accusing Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky of “Trump derangement syndrome” after the Republican criticised her handling of the files.
No evidence of client list
The US Justice Department said in July 2025 it had concluded a review and determined no Epstein “client list” existed, contradicting earlier suggestions by Bondi that such a list was under review.
In a February 2025 Fox News interview, Bondi said the list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”. She later clarified she was referring to the Epstein files in total, not a specific client list.
The acknowledgement set off pressure from conservatives that prompted Congress to pass the transparency legislation.
Bondi distributed binders containing Epstein documents to social media influencers at the White House in February 2025, but the materials included no new revelations, intensifying calls for full disclosure.
Representative Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, asked on Wednesday whether the Justice Department planned to prosecute anyone else in the Epstein case. Bondi said “we have pending investigations” but declined to elaborate.
US President Donald Trump has previously called for prosecutions of several prominent Democrats whose names appear in the files, including former President Bill Clinton. The files also reference Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other senior Trump administration officials.
Massie, who co-authored the legislation compelling release of the documents, told Bondi: “Literally the worst thing you could do to survivors, you did.”
Republican committee chairman Jim Jordan praised Bondi for what he described as reversing actions under President Joe Biden’s Justice Department that Republicans say unfairly targeted conservatives, including Trump.
“What a difference a year makes,” Jordan said. “Under Attorney General Bondi, the DOJ has returned to its core missions – upholding the rule of law, going after the bad guys and keeping Americans safe.”
Bondi’s first year as attorney general
Bondi’s appearance came one year into her tenure atop the Justice Department, a period marked by significant departures from longstanding department traditions.
The Senate confirmed Bondi by a 54-46 vote on 4 February 2025, with only one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, supporting her nomination. She was sworn in the following day by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Since taking office, Bondi has overseen the firing of career prosecutors and FBI officials who worked on cases involving President Donald Trump or the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot. The department has also investigated and prosecuted prominent Trump opponents while dropping cases against his allies.
On Tuesday, the day before her testimony, a grand jury in Washington delivered an extraordinary rebuke to department prosecutors by refusing to indict Democratic lawmakers who produced a video urging military service members not to follow “illegal orders”.
Epstein, a wealthy financier with connections to politicians and business leaders, died by apparent suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
He had previously pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of procuring a minor for prostitution in Florida and served 13 months in custody under a controversial plea agreement.
His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
US Congress passed legislation in December requiring the Justice Department to release all files related to the Epstein case within 30 days, following controversy over the department’s earlier limited disclosures.
The Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of documents in January, but reviews by news organisations found numerous redaction errors that exposed intimate details about victims, including nude photographs, while heavily redacting other information.
