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Pam
Bondi
Faces
Fierce
Scrutiny
in
Combative
House
Judiciary
Hearing
Ashley
Roberts
-
Capitol
Hill
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON
-
Attorney
General
Pam
Bondi
endured
hours of
tense,
often
explosive
questioning
on
Capitol
Hill as
House
Judiciary
Committee
members
pressed
her over
the
Justice
Department’s
handling
of the
massive
trove of
Jeffrey
Epstein
files
and
broader
concerns
about
politicization
inside
the
department.
Bondi,
appearing
for the
first
time
before
the
committee
since
taking
office,
repeatedly
clashed
with
Democrats
who
accused
her of
shielding
powerful
men
connected
to
Epstein
while
failing
to
adequately
protect
survivors
whose
personal
information
appeared
in the
released
documents.
Throughout
the
hearing,
Bondi
deflected
criticism
by
invoking
past
administrations,
frequently
referencing
her
predecessor
Merrick
Garland
and
challenging
lawmakers
on crime
in their
own
districts.
At one
point,
she
brandished
a thick
binder
of
opposition
research,
prompting
Rep.
Jared
Moskowitz
of
Florida
to mock
it as
her
“burn
book.”
The
hearing
room was
packed
with at
least 11
Epstein
survivors,
many
wearing
shirts
protesting
the
redactions
in the
files.
Lawmakers
repeatedly
asked
them to
stand to
illustrate
the
human
impact
of the
department’s
decisions.
When
Rep.
Pramila
Jayapal
of
Washington
urged
Bondi to
apologize
directly
to the
survivors,
Bondi
refused,
calling
the
request
“theatrics”
and
insisting
the
department
had done
its best
under
tight
deadlines
mandated
by the
Epstein
Files
Transparency
Act.
Republicans
on the
panel
focused
on
alleged
political
bias
within
the
department,
pointing
to the
failed
attempt
one day
earlier
to
indict
six
Democratic
lawmakers
over a
video
urging
military
personnel
not to
follow
illegal
orders.
A grand
jury
declined
to bring
charges,
an
unusual
public
rebuke
of
prosecutors.
Tensions
escalated
further
when
Rep.
Thomas
Massie
of
Kentucky
accused
Bondi of
excessive
redactions,
including
shielding
the name
of
billionaire
Les
Wexner.
Bondi
fired
back,
accusing
Massie
of
“Trump
derangement
syndrome,”
underscoring
the
partisan
rancor
that
defined
the
session.
Despite
the
heated
exchanges,
Bondi
offered
one
notable
disclosure:
in
response
to a
question
from
Rep.
Chip Roy
of
Texas,
she
acknowledged
“pending
investigations”
related
to
Epstein’s
network,
though
she
provided
no
details.
Democrats
left the
hearing
arguing
that
Bondi’s
combative
posture
only
strengthened
their
case for
retaking
the
House
majority
in
November,
saying
her
refusal
to
answer
basic
oversight
questions
underscored
the
stakes
of the
upcoming
midterms.
Bondi’s
appearance
came
amid
growing
national
scrutiny
of the
department’s
transparency,
the
administration’s
handling
of
politically
sensitive
cases,
and the
fallout
from
recent
immigration‑related
shootings
that
have
shaken
public
confidence
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