WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was a heated oversight hearing today for the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
Lawmakers pressed Bondi over delays in releasing the Epstein files and redactions within them.
“We need survivors to be taken seriously. There should be. There should never be a time limit on justice. And the DOJ needs to do its job. Give us the rest of the files and start the investigations. Start the investigations on the things that are in the files right now,” said Epstein survivor Danielle Bensky.
That was the message from survivors and victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein just before an hours-long, and tumultuous, Department of Justice oversight hearing.
“I am deeply sorry for what any victim, any victim has been through, especially as a result of that monster,” said Attorney General Bondi.
In November, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which gave the DOJ just 30 days to release all documents and files, with very few exceptions. At the end of January, the DOJ published over 3 million additional Epstein files. This week, several lawmakers received a first glimpse at some unredacted files and names of co-conspirators. Still, many lawmakers are frustrated with additional redactions and unanswered questions.
Democrats — and some Republicans — have criticized what they call a slow rollout by the DOJ. Attorney General Bondi was pressed Wednesday about high-ranking administration officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others, being named in the files.
“I barely had anything to do with that person,” said Secretary Lutnick while testifying in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
“Was the president aware of Secretary Lutnick’s ties to Epstein when he chose him to lead the Department of Commerce,” Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., asked Bondi on Wednesday.
Bondi said Lutnick has explained his connection to Epstein previously. After being pressed further by Balint, Bondi pressed back, asking Balint about fallen U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Chris Maland, who was killed in the line of duty in Vermont in January 2025.
“Okay. So I’m going to conclude that the president, in fact, did know about his ties because he was the next door neighbor,” said Balint, referring to Lutnick. “For goodness sakes… this is pathetic. The American people have a right to know the answers to this,” Balint added during a heated exchange.
Bondi frequently asked Democrats on the committee why they had taken no action to release the files when they had a majority in Congress— and the White House, during the Biden administration.
When questioned by Republicans on the committee, Bondi highlighted achievements by DOJ and the administration, including a nationwide decline in crime rates and drug overdoses.
“We’ve seized more than 9,800 kilos of fentanyl and 47 million fentanyl pills,” said Bondi.
She also discussed how federal intervention in some Democratic-led cities, like Memphis, TN, has proven successful with local cooperation.
“We want to help every city in this country who wants and asks for President Trump’s help,” she added.
The hearing also came hours after a federal grand jury in Washington shot down the DOJ’s indictment of Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over a video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey any “illegal orders.”
“Today, it was a grand jury of anonymous American citizens who upheld the rule of law and determined this case should not proceed. Hopefully, this ends this politicized investigation for good,” said Sen. Slotkin. “But today wasn’t just an embarrassing day for the administration. It was another sad day for our country… because whether or not Pirro succeeded is not the point. It’s that President Trump continues to weaponize our justice system against his perceived enemies. It’s the kind of thing you see in a foreign country, not in the United States we know and love.”
At the time the video was shared, many Republicans- including veterans and service members- expressed sharp disappointment with the video.
“Violating orders while in combat can lead to the death of fellow service members. Violating orders while undergoing training for combat can also create extremely dangerous conditions. Violating orders relating to administrative tasks can lead to negative performance evaluations,” said Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., in December. “All in all, this was deplorable advice for our service members,” the retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general added.
