Pam Bondi Hearing: US Attorney Gen Defends Trump In Heated Showdown Over Epstein Files - 'I'm Not Going To Have It'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Attorney General Pam Bondi, who appeared before a House of Representatives panel, clashed with the Democrats after being repeatedly pressed with questions on the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein Files as she defended President Donald Trump. The US lawmakers grilled Pam Bondi over the alleged“slow” release of the files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and and the redactions made to the documents.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), after it was passed by the Congress in November, forced the Justice Department to release all documents and pictures linked to Epstein it had in its possession within 30 days. While the Justice Department was required to redact the names or any other information that could identify Epstein's victims, names of those who were friendly with the late financier were supposed to be released with the files.

Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, however, alleged that names of "abusers, enablers, accomplices and co-conspirators" of Epstein had been redacted in the Epstein Files.

Also Read | Inside a $5 billion fortune: One family's ledger in the Epstein files

Grilling Pam Bondi during the hearing, Jamie Raskin said,“You're running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice. You've been ordered by subpoena and by Congress to turn over six million documents, photographs and videos in the Epstein files, but you've turned over only three million.”

In her response, Pam Bondi defended the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein Files, asserting that thousands of hours were put to release the files and the department did its best.

She said,“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 three million pages, including 180,000 images, to the public while doing our very best in the timeframe allotted by the legislation to protect victims.”

As she was pressed more, Pam Bondi clashed with the Democrats and praised President Donald Trump. Bondi said,“You sit here and you attack the president and I'm not going to have it. I am not going to put up with it.”

'Not going to have it,' says Pam Bondi | Watch

Responding to Kentucky lawmaker Thomas Massie over the allegation that the Justice Department had released Jeffrey victims' personal information, Pam Bondi attempted to shot back at him, saying that he was only focussed on the files because Donald Trump was mentioned in them.

She also went on to accuse Thomas Massie of having“Trump-derangement syndrome” and called him a“hypocrite.”

When Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal asked Pam Bondi to apologise to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein who were seated behind the Attorney General, she said demanded to know if she had asked this of her predecessor under the Biden government, adding that she would not“get in the gutter for her theatrics.”

“I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” she said.

MENAFN11022026007365015876ID1110729287