Pam Bondi Faces Backlash Amid Epstein Files Controversy

Former Attorney General under the Trump administration, Pam Bondi, is facing intense criticism due to the mishandling of the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi was put under the microscope during a House Judiciary Committee session on Wednesday, prompted by the Justice Department’s decision to release a trove of documents concerning the notorious financier, Epstein.

The Department of Justice has come under fire for their approach, which involved blacking out the names of Epstein’s associates while inexplicably leaving the identities of victims exposed.

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who serves as the committee’s ranking member, was particularly vocal in his disapproval, launching the hearing with sharp criticism: “This performance screams cover-up,” he declared.

Raskin further accused Bondi of aligning with wrongdoers at the expense of the victims, warning her that her current actions would define her legacy unless she promptly changes direction. He accused her of orchestrating a significant cover-up from within the Department of Justice.

Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives to testify before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, February 11, 2026, in Washington

Portrait of American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and real estate developer Donald Trump as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997

Bondi responded to Raskin’s attacks in her opening statement.

‘To address the Epstein Files, more than 500 attorneys and reviewers spent thousands of hours painstakingly reviewing millions of pages to comply with Congress’s law,’ Bondi stated.

‘We’ve released more than 3 million pages, including 180,000 images, all to the public, while doing our very best in the timeframe allotted by legislation to protect victims,’ she continued.

Bondi added, that if ‘you brought us a victim’s name that was inordinately released, we immediately redacted.’

‘All members of Congress, as you know, are invited to visit DOJ to see for yourself,’ the Attorney General said.

Bondi then went on to address the Epstein victims in the room.

‘I want to take a moment to acknowledge the Epstein survivors who are here today,’ she noted, adding that ‘the FBI is waiting to hear’ from victims. 

‘I want you to know that any accusation of criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated,’ Bondi also stated.

Shortly after Bondi’s opening statement, the Epstein survivors were asked to raise their hands if they had not met with DOJ leaders to discuss their cases. Every single woman present raised her hand.

‘Will you turn to the survivors now and apologize for what your DOJ has put them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein Files and their [private] information?’ Democrat Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington asked Bondi. 

Every Epstein victim present raised her hand to signify that she had not met with representatives of the  Department of Justice about their cases

US Attorney General Pam Bondi takes her seat before testifying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on ‘Oversight of the Department of Justice’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2026

Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington state, sits in front of a poster of an email from the Epstein files as she questions US Attorney General Pam Bondi during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on February 11, 2026 in Washington, DC

Bondi refused to apologize and turn to face the victims, attacked former Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland for failing to release the files, and then told Jayapal, ‘I’m not going to get in the gutter.’

Bondi then touted wins of the Trump administration that have little to do with the Department of Justice’s work.

‘They are talking about Epstein today. This has been around since the Obama administration…The Dow is over $50,000 right now… Americans’ 401 (k) s and retirement savings are booming. That’s what we should be talking about,’ Bondi noted.