“Attorney General, please answer the question”: Pam Bondi’s testimony

By Beatrice Rich

On the 11th January, the US Attorney General, Pam Bondi, stood before Congress and swore that the testimony she was about to deliver was true and correct to the best of her knowledge, information, and beliefs. However, Bondi has been accused of dodging the questions directed towards her by Representatives. These critics have labelled Bondi’s manner as evasive and confrontational; a tone which they say defines the Trump administration’s approach to the handling of the Epstein scandal by the Department of Justice (DOJ), since the first release of the files in December 2025.

During Wednesday’s hearing, House Democrats fired criticism towards Bondi for her department’s targeted use of redactions in documents published so far. Representative Pramila Jayapal accused the DOJ of strategically shielding the identities of powerful predators, while failing to afford the same protections to the victims of Epstein’s crimes. Rep. Jayapal referred to the list of 32 victims that was mistakenly published by the department as evidence of an institutional breach of personal information protection. In response to this emotive declamation, Bondi firmly stated her refusal to “get in the gutter for her [Jayapal’s] theatrics.”

Representative Pramila Jayapal accused the DOJ of strategically shielding the identities of powerful predators, while failing to afford the same protections to the victims of Epstein’s crimes

Critics have observed that the Attorney General’s remarks in Congress may emulate a pattern that has emerged in Republican attitudes towards answering uncomfortable questions. In January, for example, when asked about the killing of Alex Pretti by an ICE Agent in Minnesota, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt implied that former President Joe Biden was at fault. For these observers, the official position towards the Epstein files demonstrates a similar strategy of deflection.

In his opening speech, Ranking Member Jamie Raskin asked Pam Bondi to set aside her ‘Burn Book’ and answer the questions being asked of her. This refers to Bondi’s notes at an earlier Senate hearing, from which she levelled her own accusations against the legislators who challenged her. Consequently, instead of diverting attention towards her political opponents, Bondi repeatedly asked House representatives why they had failed to follow a similar line of questioning when dealing with her predecessor, Merrick Garland. Indeed, the length of time that it has taken for the Epstein Files Transparency Act to come into effect has prompted accusations of failings by consecutive governments to bring Epstein’s accomplices to justice. With as many as three million files remaining unreleased, the issue appears to be less a question of if these perpetrators will face the court of public opinion, and more a matter of when.

The length of time that it has taken for the Epstein Files Transparency Act to come into effect has prompted accusations of failings by consecutive governments

Bondi’s testimony has raised doubts about how long the current Administration can continue to overlook the alleged misconduct of some of its most prominent members. The DOJ now faces vocal opposition from within the Republican party itself, as Representative Thomas Massie has joined the calls from House Democrats for the department to do-away with its extensive file redactions. In her opening remarks, the Attorney General reiterated that the primary role of the Justice Department is to “Make America Safe Again”. For observers, Bondi should be focusing on ensuring the safety of the American people by safeguarding the thousands of victims who endured horrific abuse at the hands of Epstein and his accomplices.

Image credit: US Department of Justice, via Wikimedia Commons