Dems put Bondi on the back foot over Epstein in contentious House hearing

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday saw her face intense scrutiny from panel Democrats over the Epstein files.

Bondi has faced intense public criticism over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein issue since a 2025 stunt she orchestrated in which she distributed binders of largely public information on Jeffrey Epstein to a group of influencers. Her so-called “Phase 1” prompted considerable backlash, as did her previous claims to have had the Epstein client list on her desk. The White House later insisted that Bondi had been referring to the volume of Epstein-related documents.

During her appearance before the panel, Bondi touted the success of the Trump administration in lowering crime stats nationwide and suggested Democrats were only interested in the files on Epstein – the deceased financier and sex-crime offender who socialized with powerful men – as a means of attacking Trump in the face of positive economic data.

Here are some of the most memorable moments:

Defense from Democrats

In an exchange with Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Bondi accused Democrats of using the Epstein issue to distract from economic news that was favorable to the administration. She further pointed to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) reaching 50,000 for the first time and suggested that Raskin benefited from that development. Raskin laughed in response.

Bondi also questioned why Democrats did not address the Epstein issue during the Biden administration.

"They are talking about Epstein today," she said. "This has been around since the Obama administration. This administration released over three million pages of documents ... and Donald Trump signed that law. He is the most transparent president in history and none of them [Democrats] asked [former Attorney General] Merrick Garland over the last four years about Jeffrey Epstein."

Mad at Massie

In a fiery exchange with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., the congressman rejected Bondi’s contention, saying, “[T]his goes over four administrations. You don't have to go back to Biden. Let's go back to Obama. Let's go back to George Bush. This coverup spans decades, and you are responsible for this portion of it.”

Massie further pressed Bondi on the DOJ’s decision to redact the name of Leslie Wexner, whom Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said Tuesday was “likely incriminated” in the files. The DOJ subsequently un-redacted Wexner’s name.

Bondi defended the DOJ for un-redacting his name “within 40 minutes,” though Massie retorted, “within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed!”

Jittery over Jayapal

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., for her part, achieved a viral moment in which she urged the survivors of Epstein’s trafficking, many of whom were in the room, to raise their hands if they had not been able to secure a meeting with the Bondi DOJ.

“Please note for the record that every single survivor has raised their hand,” Jayapal said.

Bondi immediately attempted to turn the matter to Garland, which saw Jayapal interrupt and demand that Bondi apologize for her handling of the issue. The incident descended into a shouting match.

Bickering with Balint

During an exchange with Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont, Bondi attempted again to question why Democrats had not pressed Garland on the matter. She then proceeded to reference Balint’s vote against a resolution on antisemitism, which prompted Balint to rebuke her and leave the hearing.

“You want to go there, attorney general? Are you serious? Talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust! Really?! Really?!” Balint said.

Ribbings from Ross

Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., asked Bondi pointedly whether she supported a pardon for Epstein’s madame, Ghislaine Maxwell. Bondi stated that she had already answered that question. 

Bondi expressed frustration that Ross would not discuss Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian woman killed on the subway in the Charlotte area last year. 

“I talk about her all the time, but I am not here to testify before Congress. You are. That is your job,” Ross replied.

Touting Trump’s Record

Bondi’s opening statements was one of her few moments to defend her record, which she used to highlight the drop in crime under the administration and to tout the success of the National Guard deployments to Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tenn.

“In 2025, we saw the lowest murder rate in 125 years. That's nothing short of historic. If you compare '25 to '24 here's what you'll find,” she said. “The murder rate is down 21%. Robbery down 23%. Carjacking down 43%. Gun assault down 22%."

"This trend has been especially clear in Washington, D.C., and in Memphis," she insisted, referring to the sites of two National Guard deployments under Trump's orders. "These are two iconic American cities that spent years in the grip of horrific violent crime. The Department of Justice surged law enforcement resources, and the results came quickly."

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.