Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday attacked Democrats and praised President Donald Trump as she faced criticism from lawmakers over the Justice Department’s handling of files involving the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a charged hearing before a House of Representatives panel.
Bondi had a series of heated confrontations with Democrats on the House’s judiciary committee as they expressed frustration with the amount of Epstein material the department has redacted and withheld despite a federal law requiring the release of nearly all files.
“I am deeply sorry for what any victim has been through — any victim — especially as a result of that monster,” she said.
The Epstein files have dogged Bondi throughout her tenure as Trump’s attorney general, after she appeared to promise aggressive action in her first weeks on the job.
The Justice Department’s decision last summer to initially not release further material sparked a furious reaction from some of Trump’s online supporters, and helped inspire the surprise resignation from Congress of Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had been a staunch Trump supporter.
Epstein died by suicide in a prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial federal charges out of New York on sex trafficking charges.
‘No evidence’ Trump committed crime: Bondi
The Justice Department has argued that it has been transparent in its review of documents and redactions have been necessary to protect Epstein’s victims, although some victims’ names were made public as part of the release, prompting Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson to accuse the department of being sloppy and incompetent.
Bondi said the error rate was “very low,” and that the department would make corrections immediately, if necessary. She attributed the errors to the painstaking work of going through millions of files in just a matter of weeks.
But Bondi declined a request from Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington to apologize to at least eight women seated in the gallery who say they were the victims of Epstein for the “unacceptable release of the Epstein files.”
At the request of Rep. Pramila Jayapal, seen on a television monitor, women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein stand in the audience as Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press)
Bondi questioned why Jayapal and others had not asked the same question of her predecessor in Democrat Joe Biden’s administration, Merrick Garland.
Bondi accusedJayapal and other Democrats of engaging in “theatrics.” At other times she launched into what appeared to be unrelated territory, lauding the performance of the stock market under Trump and asking Democrats involved in two impeachments in his first term to apologize to him.
Bondi at another point accused Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who helped spearhead the passing of the Epstein Transparency Act, of “Trump derangement syndrome.” Massie was questioning why victims had private information released but powerful men had their names improperly redacted.
The Epstein files have placed new scrutiny on Trump’s past friendship with him. The president has said he broke off the relationship before his Florida conviction.
“There is no evidence that Donald Trump has committed a crime,” she said at another point in response to questions about unverified allegations regarding Trump that have been part of the recent release of files.
Khanna questions redactions
The Justice Department releases since December have drawn renewed attention to wealthy and powerful individuals who maintained ties with Epstein even after his conviction on state charges in Florida in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna of California, who helped Massie push for the law that forced the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein investigations, vocalized those frustrations from the House floor on Tuesday.
Khanna took the extraordinary step of naming six “powerful men” in the chamber who he said had their names improperly redacted, after visiting the Justice Department with Massie on Monday — the first day lawmakers were allowed to view unredacted files.
U.S. House Rep. Ro Khanna, right, speaks as Rep. Thomas Massie looks on outside the Department of Justice in Washington on Monday. The lawmakers were viewing unredacted files related to probes into Jeffrey Epstein, and a day later, Khanna questioned from the House floor why six specific men had their names redacted in the files. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The presence of one’s name in the files related to Epstein does not by itself indicate criminal wrongdoing, but Khanna is likely protected from legal consequence or defamation claims by the “speech or debate” clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The names were later unredacted after the queries from Khanna and Massie, Khanna said.
“If we found six men they were hiding in two hours, imagine how many men they were covering up for in those three million files?” asked Khanna.
The men Khanna listed were Leslie Wexner, the founder of Bath & Body Works and former owner of Victoria’s Secret, who has denied knowledge of any Epstein crimes in previous statements. The other men were identified as Nicola Caputo, Leonic Leonov, Zurab Mikeladze, Salvatore Nuara and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. Their ties to Epstein weren’t immediately clear and their occupations or positions couldn’t immediately be verified.
“We have to ask ourselves: Are we in America going to have elite accountability?” said Khanna, pointing to consequences that have befallen politicians and royals in Britain and Norway over associations with Epstein.
WATCH | U.S. lawmakers would like former British prince to testify:
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor urged to testify about Epstein
The brother of deceased Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre is urging Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to answer American lawmakers’ questions about the late sex trafficker. Meanwhile King Charles says the Royal Family will co-operate with a police investigation if asked.
Khanna also questioned why Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick remains in the Trump administration cabinet after newly released files from January included emails that showed Lutnick apparently visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island for lunch years after he previously claimed to have cut off ties with Epstein.
Lutnick defended himself during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Lutnick “remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president fully supports the secretary.”
