Bondi faces questions from lawmakers amid fallout over Epstein files
Attorney General Pam Bondi will be questioned by lawmakers Wednesday over the Department of Justice’s management of files related to Jeffrey Epstein that have exposed sensitive confidential information about victims despite redaction efforts.
Bondi’s appearance marks the first time she is appearing before Congress since an October 2025 hearing where she deflected questions and opposed Democrats’ criticism of her actions.
Bondi hearing on Epstein files
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Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are expected to question Attorney General Bondi on how the Department of Justice decided what documents should and should not be made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The Associated Press reported that the act was passed by Congress after the DOJ announced in July2025 that no more files would be released.
FILE-Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 07, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
RELATED: Epstein victims blast DOJ for releasing nude photos, names in file dump
Wednesday’s hearing comes several days after lawmakers visited the Justice Department office to examine unredacted versions of the Epstein files. Legislators were granted access to the over 3 million files released in a room with computers and were permitted to take notes.
On Feb.5, a collection of Epstein documents released by the DOJ, which included nude photos, names, faces, bank accounts and Social Security numbers of Epstein’s victims.
RELATED: Epstein files released by Justice Department: What's in them
The files were released to comply with a law that required the federal government to make Epstein’s case documents public, but the redactions meant to protect his victims have been sloppy, inconsistent, or nonexistent.
Their names were supposed to be blocked out. Their faces and bodies were supposed to be hidden. Despite the Justice Department’s efforts to repair the blatant mismanagement, nude photos were on the site.
Who was Jeffery Epstein?
The backstory:
Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier, was known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite, including Trump and Clinton.
Epstein was first accused of sexually abusing underage girls in 2005, but Epstein made a secret deal with the U.S. attorney in Florida to avoid federal charges. In 2019, Manhattan federal prosecutors revived the case and charged Epstein with sex trafficking. He killed himself in jail a month after his arrest.
Epstein, with help from his longtime friend and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, sexually abused at least 1,000 women and children, according to USA Today. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping recruit some of his underage victims.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by previous LIVENOW from FOX reporting and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.