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In a significant development on Capitol Hill, Democrats from the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees have initiated a joint probe into the actions of the Justice Department. This move follows a revelation that Attorney General Pam Bondi was observed examining a summary detailing a lawmaker’s interactions with the unredacted files of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawmakers have formally requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) “immediately cease tracking Members’ review of the Epstein files.” They are also seeking clarification on the rationale behind the apparent monitoring of which unredacted documents were accessed by members of Congress.
In a letter addressed to the DOJ, Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California, both senior Democrats on the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees, along with Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington, expressed their concerns. They highlighted that a photograph taken during a House Judiciary Committee hearing unveiled that the DOJ had been secretly tracking congressional members as they perused the slightly-less-redacted Epstein files.
“This surveillance of Members as we perform our constitutional oversight duties, done without our knowledge or consent, is a blatant violation of the separation of powers,” the letter stated. The representatives further accused the DOJ of potentially shielding Jeffrey Epstein’s associates and obstructing the path to justice for survivors and the public.
The Democrats are criticizing the DOJ’s Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA), arguing that it should not operate as a covert surveillance entity targeting congressional activities. This investigation marks another chapter in the ongoing scrutiny over the handling of Epstein-related investigations and the quest for transparency and accountability within the government.
A photo captured Bondi reviewing a document titled “Jayapal Pramila Search History” — seemingly reviewing the activity of the Washington Democrat who tangled with the attorney general during a shouting match.
The image sparked an atypical moment of bipartisan agreement in Congress as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were incensed to have their actions tracked.
The move earned a rare rebuke from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
“I think members should obviously have the right to peruse those at their own speed and with their own discretion and I don’t think it’s appropriate for anybody to be tracking that. I will echo that to anybody involved in the DOJ,” Johnson said, adding that he hoped it was an “oversight.”
Bondi frequently turned to her binder Wednesday to push back on Democrats, having at the ready a summary of specific crimes committed in each lawmaker’s district while otherwise praising the president and the performance of the stock market.
“Representative Jayapal had viewed the Epstein files on Tuesday morning, roughly 23 hours before the start of this hearing. In those 23 hours, your Department apparently pulled her search history and used it to prepare you to launch partisan attacks to dodge serious oversight questions. Representative Jayapal has confirmed the accuracy of the search history document,” the lawmakers wrote.
The DOJ did not address the new investigation Friday but pointed to prior remarks.
“DOJ has extended Congress the opportunity to review unredacted documents in the Epstein files. As a part of that review, DOJ logs all searches made on its systems to protect against the release of victim information,” a spokesperson said Thursday.
Democrats have argued the monitoring of their searches wrongly gives the Justice Department insight to their potential investigative plans.
Lawmakers began traveling to DOJ offices Monday after they were invited to come review the unredacted versions of the Epstein files.
The letter notes that at least a dozen Democrats have viewed the documents, as have GOP Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), who co-sponsored the bill that required their release, and Nancy Mace (S.C.).
While the invitation to review the files noted DOJ would log the “dates and times of all members’ reviews,” the lawmakers’ letter said they had no warning their search histories would be compiled. The letter also asks how many staff were involved in reviewing their search history and “how was the information used in preparation for and during” Bondi’s Wednesday appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.
“What information, in addition to the searches, are you collecting on Members of Congress?” the lawmakers asked.