Washington, D.C. — A House Judiciary Committee hearing descended into chaos this week as Attorney General Pam Bondi faced intense bipartisan scrutiny over the Department of Justice’s handling of records related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Lawmakers accused the DOJ of reckless redactions, exposing victims’ identities while shielding powerful individuals named in the files, triggering repeated procedural clashes and personal confrontations on the committee floor.
At the center of the controversy was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who pressed Bondi on why key documents tied to Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators were heavily redacted or removed entirely from public access, while sensitive information identifying victims was released.
“So we can’t even see them,” Massie said, referring to documents that had been pulled from the DOJ’s website. “And then there are some of these files you’ve pulled down that we will never see because we can’t search the redactions.”
Massie demanded accountability, asking Bondi whether the DOJ could identify who authorized the redactions and who released victims’ names.
“Are you able to track who in your organization made this massive failure and released the victims’ names?” Massie asked. “Are you able to track who it was that obscured Les Wexner’s name as a co-conspirator in an FBI document?”
Bondi attempted to respond by stating that billionaire Les Wexner’s name appeared thousands of times across Epstein-related materials.
“I believe Wexner’s name was listed more than four thousand times,” Bondi said.
Massie immediately challenged the response, stating that the issue was not frequency, but context.
“This is where he’s listed as a co-conspirator,” Massie shot back.
The exchange devolved into repeated interruptions, with Massie repeatedly “reclaiming my time” as Bondi attempted to continue speaking. Bondi protested, saying she had corrected a redaction within forty minutes of it being flagged.
“Within forty minutes, Wexner’s name was added back,” Bondi said.
“Within forty minutes of me catching you red-handed,” Massie replied.
Bondi acknowledged that a single redaction existed out of more than 4,700 documents, but Massie countered that the redaction concealed Wexner’s listing as a co-conspirator in a file explicitly labeled “Child Sex Trafficking.”
Massie dramatically referenced physical exhibits during the hearing, stating that he had personally removed tape covering Wexner’s name.
“And by the way, we’re going to unredact them here,” Massie said. “Les Wexner is in this. Where he’s listed as a co-conspirator — not to tax evasion, not to prostitution, but to child sex trafficking.”
He further accused the DOJ of releasing an internal email to victims’ attorneys that contained a list of names not intended for public disclosure — an action Massie described as devastating to survivors.
“Literally the worst thing you could do to the survivors, you did,” Massie said, noting that victims began receiving phone calls after their names were exposed.
“And we know you touched the document because you redacted one name and redacted the lawyer’s name, but you left the survivor’s name there,” he added.
The hearing also featured a heated exchange between Bondi and Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), who questioned whether the DOJ had investigated Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s admitted visits to Epstein’s private island after Epstein’s conviction.
“I’m not asking trick questions,” Balint said. “The American people have a right to know.”
Bondi responded curtly, “I’m attorney general.”
“My apologies,” Balint retorted. “I couldn’t tell.”
Bondi then criticized Balint for voting against a House resolution condemning the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic. Balint fired back emotionally, citing her family history.
“Are you serious, talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust?” Balint said, before leaving the committee room.
Tensions escalated further when Bondi accused Massie of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and called him a “failed politician,” drawing visible reactions from the room. Chairman Jim Jordan intervened repeatedly to restore order, reminding Bondi that the questioning time belonged to Massie.
“The time belongs to the gentleman,” Jordan said.
Outside the hearing room, public reaction was swift. TIME and The New York Times reported that Bondi refused to directly apologize to Epstein’s victims for how the DOJ handled the files, a stance that fueled further outrage online and in Congress.
Social media commentary amplified the fallout, with conservative and libertarian figures openly siding with Massie. Journalist Jack Hunter wrote, “If you’re not a Massie Republican you’re a useless Republican,” while commentator Liam McCollum questioned what the Republican Party stands for if it does not support Massie’s line of questioning.
By the end of the hearing, lawmakers from both parties made clear that the controversy over Epstein’s files is far from resolved. Multiple members signaled that further subpoenas, document demands, and hearings are likely as questions persist about who was protected, who was exposed, and why.
As Massie summarized during the session, “There is simply no benign explanation for these redactions.”
The Justice Department has not yet announced any internal investigation or disciplinary action related to the handling of the Epstein documents.
Videos from the disastrous hearing:
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