The Trump admin couldn't hand Democrats a fatter pitch than how they've handled the Epstein release... 

On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed repeatedly with Democrats during a tense House Judiciary Committee hearing, deflecting pointed questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files before the session devolved into a shouting match with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) over redactions, co-conspirators and DOJ accountability.

The fireworks began when Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) pressed Bondi on whether DOJ has indicted or is investigating any of Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators, citing what he called “concrete evidence of disgusting criminality” in recently released files. Bondi attempted to sidestep the question; when Nadler repeated it, she raised her voice and insisted she would “answer the question the way I want to answer the question,” talking over Nadler as colleagues tried to intercede. As the exchange escalated, Bondi pivoted away from Epstein entirely - invoking the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq and touting retirement accounts. 

Democrats kept the pressure on. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) accused Bondi of lying under oath after she cited a July 2025 DOJ memo asserting there was no evidence warranting investigations of “uncharged third parties.” Lieu pointed to images of former Prince Andrew and then played a clip of Donald Trump with Epstein, asking whether there were underage girls present. Bondi responded by attacking Democrats and praising Trump, saying there was “no evidence that Donald Trump has committed a crime.” When Lieu cited an FBI tip and witness statement and urged DOJ to interview the witness, Bondi snapped, “Don’t you ever accuse me of a crime,” then turned to a large white binder as she accused Lieu of deflecting from crime in his district.

Similar exchanges followed with Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), with Bondi repeatedly veering into personal attacks and unrelated topics rather than answering the questions posed. Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) ultimately moved the hearing along.

Rep. Jayapal (D-WA) brought Epstein accusers...

And when asked again to face them...

The hearing’s most explosive moment came when Massie, a co-sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, confronted Bondi with DOJ and FBI documents he said showed victims’ names disclosed while alleged abusers’ names were blacked out - and a 2019 FBI file that listed Epstein confidant Les Wexner as a “co-conspirator,” a designation Massie said was redacted in DOJ’s release. As Massie asked who authorized the redactions and why, Bondi interrupted repeatedly, insisting the issue had been “corrected within 40 minutes” and accusing Massie of acting as if there were a cover-up. When Massie noted the change came only after he flagged it, the exchange turned heated, with Bondi laughing off the criticism and attacking Massie personally.

"Who’s responsible?" asked Massie. "Are you able to track who in the organization made this massive failure and released the victims’ names?"

Bondi shot back that Massie was a "failed politician" and a "hypocrite." 

Massie then played testimony from FBI Director Kash Patel, who told Congress there was “no credible information” that anyone besides Ghislaine Maxwell assisted Epstein in trafficking women and girls, and asked Bondi whether that was her position. Bondi did not answer directly, instead urging victims to call the FBI and attempting to redirect blame to prior administrations, including former Attorney General Merrick Garland. When Massie reclaimed his time and framed the matter as a decades-long failure spanning multiple administrations, Bondi shouted that he did not “get to reclaim time” and again declined to address the substance.

By the end of the exchange, Bondi had not answered whether DOJ agrees there is “no credible information” about co-conspirators, why a document listing Wexner as a co-conspirator was redacted, or who approved releasing victims’ names while obscuring alleged abusers. The hearing closed with unanswered questions—and a stark contrast between Democrats’ early sparring over evasions and a later, bipartisan rupture that put the department’s handling of the Epstein files squarely at the center of the controversy.