Attorney General Pam Bondi faced sharp questioning during a House Oversight Committee hearing over the Justice Department’s handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, with Democrats accusing her of shifting responsibility for alleged mistakes and redactions onto Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. In her opening remarks, Bondi said the department made a good-faith effort to gather all potentially responsive records and insisted that documents withheld from release were non-responsive, privileged, or duplicative. She acknowledged that some redaction errors occurred but said the DOJ remained committed to accountability and transparency.
Bondi also told lawmakers that she had delegated oversight of the document review process to Blanche, describing him as leading the effort because of his role within the Justice Department. That explanation became a major point of attack from Democrats, who argued that she was trying to distance herself from the controversy. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Bondi’s testimony made it clear she intended to place the blame for the investigation’s problems on Blanche, whom he described as the person overseeing the process. Garcia criticized the handling of the records, including the redactions and what he said was a failure to protect survivors.
Bondi said she has spent her career fighting for victims and offered an apology to anyone harmed by Epstein. She urged victims to contact law enforcement if they had information about anyone who abused them, saying the FBI remained ready to listen. She also said that justice and transparency in the matter had been carried out under the direction of President Trump and his administration.
Other Democrats remained unconvinced. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said Bondi appeared to defend not meeting with Epstein survivors during the hearing. In comments later aired on CNN, Subramanyam said Bondi suggested it would not be appropriate to meet with the victims, and accused her of showing little awareness that survivors had tried to reach out to her, including regarding their own files and statements submitted to the Justice Department. He said Bondi came across as combative, uncomfortable, and dismissive of questions from lawmakers.
The hearing underscored the continuing political fallout over the Epstein records and the Justice Department’s handling of sensitive materials involving survivors. Democrats focused on whether the department provided full transparency and whether victims were treated appropriately, while Bondi emphasized the administration’s efforts to release records and defend the process used to review them. The exchange reflected broader tensions over accountability, document disclosure, and the government’s treatment of Epstein-related evidence as lawmakers pressed for more answers about what was released, what was withheld, and why.
