Pamela Bondi, serving as Donald Trump’s Attorney General, found herself under intense scrutiny following the mishandled publication of the Epstein files. During a heated session with the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, the Justice Department came under fire for its release of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The controversy primarily stems from the department’s decision to redact the names of Epstein’s associates while failing to protect the identities of his victims.

Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland and the committee’s ranking member, did not hold back in his criticism of Bondi as the hearing commenced. He strongly condemned her actions, asserting, “This performance screams cover-up.” Raskin accused Bondi of aligning with the perpetrators instead of safeguarding the victims, warning that this approach would tarnish her legacy unless she swiftly alters her course. He further accused her of orchestrating “a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice.”

In her opening statement, Bondi defended her actions regarding the Epstein files. She explained, “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 highlighted that over 3 million pages, including 180,000 images, were made available to the public, and emphasized the efforts made to protect victims within the timeframe dictated by legislation. She assured, “If you brought us a victim’s name that was inordinately released, we immediately redacted.” Bondi invited members of Congress to visit the DOJ to examine the documents themselves, inviting transparency and accountability.

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. 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. During a later exchange with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Bondi was also asked to weigh in on the controversy regarding former CNN host and current independent media figure Don Lemon, when she noted that the DOJ ‘will always protect our churches and the freedom of religion.’