Democratic Lawmakers Accuse US Attorney General of Cover-Up in Epstein File Controversy
Congressional Democrats on Wednesday launched a fierce accusation against US Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging she is engaged in a deliberate "cover-up" of the Jeffrey Epstein files. They further charged that she has transformed the Department of Justice into what they described as an "instrument of revenge" for President Donald Trump. The explosive allegations unfolded during a combative hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, which was attended by several victims of Epstein, the wealthy financier who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for s3x trafficking underage girls.
Bondi Defends DOJ's Handling Amidst Intense Scrutiny
Testifying before the committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi staunchly defended the Department of Justice's handling of the release of the Epstein records. She cited "pending investigations" in the case as a key reason for the cautious approach, though she did not elaborate on the specifics of those investigations during the tense session. This defense came despite previous statements from Bondi's deputy, Todd Blanche, who indicated that no further prosecutions are expected in connection with Epstein, a figure with extensive ties to prominent business leaders, politicians, celebrities, and academics.
Criticism Over Document Release Pace and Redactions
Committee ranking Democrat Jamie Raskin led the charge, sharply criticizing both the sluggish pace of the file release and the extensive redactions applied to the documents. "You're running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice," Raskin declared. He highlighted that Congress had ordered the DOJ, via subpoena, to turn over six million documents, photographs, and videos from the Epstein files, but only three million had been provided so far.
The controversy centers on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November, which mandated the DOJ to release all documents related to Epstein within 30 days. The law required redaction of personally identifiable information about victims, who reportedly number more than 1,000, but explicitly prohibited shielding powerful figures associated with Epstein "on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity."
Allegations of Protecting Accomplices and Failing Victims
Raskin argued that despite this legal requirement, the names of Epstein's "abusers, enablers, accomplices, and co-conspirators" had been redacted, "apparently to spare them embarrassment and disgrace." He added an even more damning charge: "Even worse, you shockingly failed to redact many of the victims' names." In response, Bondi emphasized the immense logistical challenge, noting that hundreds of attorneys spent thousands of hours reviewing millions of pages to comply with the law within the tight 30-day deadline.
"If any man's name was redacted that should not have been, we will, of course, unredact it," Bondi stated. "If a victim's name was unredacted please bring it to us and we will redact it. We were given 30 days to review and redact and unredact millions of pages of documents. Our error rate is very low."
Political Tensions and Broader Accusations
The hearing was marked by significant political tension, with Bondi repeatedly declining to directly answer certain questions from Democratic lawmakers. She also refused a request to apologize directly to Epstein's victims present in the room, though she did express sorrow for their suffering. Democrats expanded their criticism beyond the Epstein case, lambasting prosecutions brought by the DOJ against Trump's political opponents, including former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
"You've turned the people's Department of Justice into Trump's instrument of revenge," Raskin asserted. "Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza and you deliver every time he tells you to."
Context and Current Status of the Epstein Case
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former associate, remains the only person imprisoned in connection with the case. She was convicted in 2021 of s3x trafficking underage girls and is currently serving a 20-year sentence. While President Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, scrutiny has intensified over past interactions between the two men. A 2019 FBI interview cited in the released files included remarks from Palm Beach's then-police chief Michael Reiter, who recalled that Trump called him in 2006, when s3x-related charges against Epstein became public, and stated: "Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this."
The hearing underscores the ongoing political and legal battles surrounding the Epstein files, with Democrats demanding full transparency and accountability, while the DOJ insists it is adhering to legal requirements and protecting sensitive investigations.
