Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files during a tense House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, pushing back against Democratic accusations of a cover-up. The exchange quickly escalated into a shouting match as lawmakers questioned why millions of pages remain redacted or withheld under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
According to The Sun, Bondi appeared before the committee as frustration grows on Capitol Hill over the scope of the document release. Congress passed the transparency law in November, requiring the Justice Department to publish nearly all material related to Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
So far, the department has released several batches of documents. A small portion was made public by the December 19 deadline. Another release followed on December 23. Five weeks later, the DOJ published what it called a final tranche — more than three million pages. Lawmakers say millions of additional records remain redacted or undisclosed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi looses her mind.
Bondi: YOU DON’T TELL ME ANYTHING YOU WASHED UP LAWYER! pic.twitter.com/gmBMia7YbL
— Pixie (@Pixieislive) February 11, 2026
Representative Pramila Jayapal accused Bondi of mishandling sensitive information and demanded she apologize to survivors present in the hearing room. Jayapal said the department initially released a list of 32 survivor names with only one redacted, along with documents that included emails, addresses, nude photographs, and the identities of women previously identified only as Jane Does.
Bondi rejected the accusation and said she would not “get in the gutter for her theatrics.” She noted that similar questions were not raised with former Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“This isn’t a circus, this is a hearing,” Bondi added.
What an EMBARRASSMENT Pam Bondi is to the law profession.
Her obnoxious, petulant, childish name calling are unprofessional and a disgrace to her position.
And note: she is clocking each member’s time, saying “time’s up” before even Jim Jordan calls it. pic.twitter.com/ZmDsIUtMsg
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) February 11, 2026
Ranking Member Jamie Raskin pressed Bondi on why six million total files have not been fully turned over. He accused the department of shielding Epstein’s associates from “embarrassment and disgrace” and said she was wasting time during her testimony. “You can let her filibuster all day long, but not on our watch,” Raskin said.
Bondi responded sharply, calling Raskin a “washed up, loser lawyer” and telling him, “You don’t tell me anything.”
The Justice Department maintains that redactions were necessary to protect victims and comply with legal privileges. Bondi said more than 500 reviewers and attorneys spent thousands of hours examining documents under a compressed timeline. She said any survivor names that were released inadvertently were “immediately redacted.”
“I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” Bondi told the committee. Turning toward survivors in attendance, she added, “I am deeply sorry for what any victim — any victim — has been through, especially as a result of that monster.”
Pam Bondi’s testimony before Congress was deeply disappointing. Rather than answer tough questions or apologize to Epstein’s victims, she repeatedly dodged accountability, dismissed concerns as “theatrics,” and refused to explain why the Justice Department’s release of heavily… pic.twitter.com/ZsGhscriPu
— Humaira (@HumairaWajahat) February 11, 2026
The hearing also revived broader criticism from both parties about the department’s transparency. Some lawmakers argue that the redactions go beyond the narrow exemptions allowed under the law. The DOJ has cited privacy protections and legal constraints in defending its decisions.
Bondi opened her testimony by highlighting crime statistics under her tenure, saying 2025 recorded the lowest murder rate in 125 years. “Crime is declining,” she said. “President Trump’s policies have saved lives.”
The hearing did little to cool tensions. Questions over what remains sealed, and why, continue to hang over the Justice Department as lawmakers review what has already been released.
Pam Bondi Fires Back at Democrats’ ‘Washed Up, Loser Lawyer’ in Explosive Epstein Files Hearing
