Attorney General Pam Bondi sparred with Democrats about her year-long tenure at the Department of Justice, in a combative, hours-long hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
While Republicans on the panel largely defended Bondi and avoided tough lines of questioning, Democrats zeroed in on the agency's targeting of President Trump's political foes and its oversight surrounding files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a blistering opening statement, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., criticized the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files and the agency's treatment of survivors, highlighting that several were present in the hearing room. Raskin and Democrats on the panel have called for increased transparency, highlighting examples where they say redacted information in the documents benefits powerful individuals who may be implicated in Epstein's crimes, instead of omitting information that protects survivors.
"You're not showing a lot of interest in the victims, Madam Attorney General, whether it's Epstein's human trafficking ring or the homicidal governmental violence against citizens in Minneapolis," Raskin said, in reference to the two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by immigration officers in the city last month. "You're siding with the perpetrators, and you're ignoring the victims," he added. "That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change course."
Throughout the hearing, Bondi defended the DOJ's handling of the files, touting the release of millions of documents. In her opening statement, she vowed to continue fighting for survivors, saying she was "deeply sorry for what any victim, any victim, has been through, especially as a result of that monster."
However, as Democrats pressed her on the DOJ's handling of the Epstein investigation, Bondi pushed back, responding with personal attacks directed at lawmakers.
When asked by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to apologize to survivors for the agency's "absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein files and their information," Bondi rejected that questioning.
"I'm not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics," she said.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has largely broken with his party in criticizing the administration on the issue, demanded accountability for sharing survivor information while "over redacting" potentially incriminating information.
Bondi responded by calling Massie a "failed politician" with "Trump derangement syndrome," and asked whether the congressman demanded the same level of transparency from former Attorney General Merrick Garland during the Biden administration. Massie went on to reject that argument.
"This cover-up spans decades, and you are responsible for this portion of it," he said.
Bondi's turbulent first year at DOJ
The attorney general's appearance before the committee comes one year into her tenure atop the Justice Department, a tumultuous period marked by a striking departure from the traditions and norms that have guided the department for decades.
Since taking the helm, Bondi has overseen the firing of career prosecutors and FBI officials who worked on Capitol riot cases or Trump investigations, investigated and prosecuted prominent opponents of the president, and dropped prosecutions of his allies.
The changes also extend to the department's workforce. The section that prosecutes public corruption has been gutted; the Civil Rights Division, which protects the constitutional rights of all Americans, has seen a mass exodus of career attorneys; and some U.S. attorney's offices — including most recently the one in Minnesota — have been hit by resignations.
In her public appearances, Bondi, who is a former Florida attorney general, has defended the department's actions and sought to tout what she says are major accomplishments — going after cartels and violent crime and helping in the administration's immigration enforcement.
She also says she's made "tremendous progress" toward ending what she says was the department's weaponization in recent years against Trump and conservatives. Biden-era DOJ officials deny they politicized the department, and they point to the prosecutions of prominent Democratic lawmakers and even President Joe Biden's son Hunter as evidence.
Accusations of politicization at DOJ
For decades, the Justice Department has enjoyed a degree of independence from the White House, particularly in investigations and prosecutions, to insulate them from partisan politics.
Critics say that under Bondi, that independence has disappeared and the Justice Department has helped enact Trump's promised campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies.
Last year, for example, the president openly directed Bondi to go after former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James — two high-profile political adversaries of the president.
"We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," Trump said in a social media post addressed to Bondi. "They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"
Days after that, a new acting U.S. attorney hand-picked by Trump secured an indictment against Comey, overruling career prosecutors who had doubts about the strength of the evidence.
A few weeks later, that same prosecutor secured an indictment against James.
Both cases have since been tossed by a federal judge, who found that the prosecutor was unlawfully appointed. The Justice Department is appealing that decision.
Other perceived opponents of the president or individuals standing in the way of his agenda have also found themselves under DOJ investigation, including Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and former Obama-era intelligence officials James Clapper and John Brennan.
Despite the uproar from DOJ veterans and many legal experts, Bondi still enjoys Trump's support — publicly, at least — as well as the backing of Republican lawmakers.
