Bondi defends DOJ Epstein files release amid Democrat scrutiny at House hearing oan

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Brooke Mallory
6:36 PM – Wednesday, February 11, 2026

In a hearing that oscillated between legal drama and schoolyard brawl, Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to defend the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

While the core of the session focused on the release of over 3 million documents, the five-hour marathon was defined by viral insults, allegations of government spying, and a striking public rift between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Epstein victims.

While the DOJ released a final batch of over 3 million documents last month, lawmakers were granted access to unredacted versions earlier this week — a move that Democrats have argued creates substantial threats to both data protection and user privacy.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse, some of whom were present in the room, also accused the DOJ of gross negligence. They alleged that the department failed to properly redact sensitive personal information, including nude photographs and identifying details.

Nevertheless, others have pointed out that the Trump administration faced overwhelming pressure to act quickly. With virtually the entire country, including Democrat lawmakers and moderate Republican lawmakers, demanding timely release of the files — the administration had little room to delay, notwithstanding the sheer scale of over 3 million documents.

The gravity of the Wednesday session was set early by Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who used his opening statement to formally introduce several survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation to the committee.

“To promote justice for the people, you’ve got to listen to the victims like the women seated behind you today. Those are just some of the hundreds of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s global sex trafficking ring who are demanding that the truth be told. They’re demanding accountability for the abusers who trafficked and raped them,” Raskin said.

 

“Some of the victims had come forward publicly, but many had not. Many had kept their torment private, even from family and friends, but you published their names, their identities, their images on thousands of pages for the world to see.”

Bondi staunchly defended the DOJ’s handling of the files, emphasizing that officials had worked diligently under tight statutory deadlines to review and release millions of pages while protecting sensitive information.

At the same time, she directly acknowledged the profound suffering of Epstein’s survivors — telling those present in the hearing room that she was deeply sorry for the abuse they endured at the hands of a “monster.”

“More than 500 attorneys and reviewers spent thousands of hours painstakingly reviewing millions of pages to comply with congress’s law. We’ve released more than 3 million pages, including 180,000 images all to the public, while doing our very best in the timeframe allotted by the legislation to protect victims,” Bondi explained.

“And if you brought us a victim’s name that was inadvertently released, we immediately redacted it. All members of Congress, as you know, are invited to visit DOJ to see for yourselves.”

“If you have any information to share with law enforcement about anyone who has hurt you or abused you, the FBI is waiting to hear from you. I want you to know that any accusations of criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated,” she added.

 

A central point of contention was a thick binder of notes Bondi referenced throughout the day. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) dubbed it a “burn book,” accusing the DOJ of compiling opposition research on lawmakers rather than focusing on the Epstein case.

However, Bondi didn’t back down, at one point even calling Raskin “washed-up” after he accused her of filibustering.

The hearing also took an “Orwellian” turn when photojournalists captured images of the documents on Bondi’s desk. One printout was allegedly labeled “Jayapal Pramila Search History,” appearing to list the specific Epstein files Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) had accessed in the secure reading room earlier that week.

“It is totally inappropriate and against the separation of powers for the DOJ to surveil us as we search the Epstein files,” Jayapal said in a statement.

Under questioning from both Democrats and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Bondi appeared to lower expectations for future prosecutions. At one point, Massie pressed Bondi on why billionaire Les Wexner’s name was initially redacted in FBI documents listing potential co-conspirators. Bondi responded that the redaction was a simple mistake that was corrected within 40 minutes.

Despite the massive document dump, Bondi also further suggested that there is no single “client list” that will lead to a new wave of indictments — a statement that appeared to frustrate those in the room who had hoped the files would provide a roadmap for charging Epstein’s other high-profile “associates.”

The most poignant moment of the day occurred when Jayapal turned to the gallery. Jayapal asked the survivors of Epstein’s abuse who were present in the hearing room to raise their hands if they had not yet met with the Justice Department under Bondi’s leadership.

Every survivor present raised their hand, according to reports.

When asked to turn around and apologize directly to the women for the DOJ’s recent “haphazard” release of their private information — including nude photographs — Bondi also refused. She labeled the request “theatrics” and redirected blame toward the previous Biden administration.

Additionally, the hearing touched on the transfer of Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison. Bondi stated that she only learned of the move “after the fact” and expressed her personal hope that Maxwell “dies in prison,” though she stopped short of explaining how such a high-profile transfer occurred without her knowledge.