Attorney General Pam Bondi grilled by lawmakers over Epstein files handling

United States Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in a hearing that quickly became contentious over the Justice Department's handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The hearing, officially titled "Oversight of the US Department of Justice," centered largely on the release of millions of redacted documents from investigations into Epstein. Bondi defended the DOJ's handling of the records and said there are "pending investigations" in the case.

Democratic lawmakers pressed Bondi on multiple fronts. Representative Jamie Raskin told her at the outset: "As attorney general, you are siding with the perpetrators, and you're ignoring the victims. That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change course. You're running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice."

The hearing descended at times into heated exchanges. Bondi called one Democrat a "washed-up loser" during one confrontation, and after another exchange, a lawmaker stormed out of the session. The hearing lasted approximately four to five hours.

Several Epstein survivors and family members, including relatives of Virginia Giuffre, were seated behind Bondi during the testimony. Giuffre became a central figure in Epstein's downfall after publicly coming forward with accusations that she was a teenage spa attendant at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club when Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell approached her and hired her as a masseuse.

During questioning, Bondi told lawmakers they should focus on economic performance rather than the Epstein files. "The Dow is over 50,000 right now. The S&P at almost 7,000 and the Nasdaq smashing records," she said. "Americans' 401Ks and retirements are booming. That's what we should be talking about."