'I Won't Get In The Gutter': Top 4 Moments From Pam Bondi's Fiery Epstein Files Testimony

Last Updated:February 12, 2026, 12:39 IST

The combative hearing was attended by several victims of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls

In a nearly five-hour hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi locked horns with lawmakers in a fiery display of defiance, personal barbs, and political theatrics over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. From refusing to apologise to survivors to a heated shouting match with Rep Jamie Raskin that included accusations of being a “washed-up, loser lawyer," Bondi’s combative tone dominated the session.

As Congressional Democrats accused Bondi of engaging in a “cover-up" of the Jeffrey Epstein files and turning the Department of Justice into an “instrument of revenge" for President Donald Trump, she defended the DOJ’s handling of the release of the Epstein records and said there are “pending investigations" in the case.

The combative hearing was attended by several victims of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.

According to AFP, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress in November, compelled the DOJ to release all documents in its possession related to Epstein within 30 days. It required redaction of names or other personally identifiable information about Epstein’s victims, who numbered more than 1,000 according to the FBI. But the powerful figures who were friendly with Epstein could not be shielded “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity," the law states.

Here are the top four moments that defined the hearing:

1. Heated Defiance Instead Of Apology: TIME reported that one of the most-talked-about moments came when Democratic lawmakers, notably Republican Pramila Jayapal, urged Bondi to turn and apologise directly to the Epstein survivors present in the hearing room for how the Justice Department handled the release of sensitive documents. Bondi declined, calling the request political “theatrics" and saying she would not “get in the gutter" with her critics.

At another moment in the hearing, the attorney general said officials were working as quickly as possible to safeguard victims while complying with the law mandating the release of the files. She added that any names identified as having been disclosed “by mistake" were “promptly redacted".

2. Shouting Match with Raskin: The atmosphere turned intensely personal when Bondi clashed with Raskin, who pressed her on unanswered questions about the files and perceived lack of accountability. In response, Bondi launched into a series of sharp barbs, at one point calling Raskin a “washed-up, loser lawyer".

3. Bipartisan Rebuke: Rep Thomas Massie openly questioned Bondi’s handling of redactions, noting that victims’ names were exposed while potentially incriminating names were withheld, calling the situation a failure to comply with transparency requirements. As Massie—who called the issue “bigger than Watergate"—questioned why billionaire Leslie Wexner’s name was redacted in an FBI document listing potential co-conspirators in the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, Bondi said Wexner’s name appeared numerous times in other files the department released and that the DOJ unredacted his name on the document “within 40 minutes" of Massie spotting it. Amid the war of words, Bondi shot back with a personal attack, accusing Massie of being a “failed politican" with “Trump derangement syndrome".

4. Clash Over Trump: Rep Jasmine Crockett stormed out of a Congressional hearing after entering into a spat with Bondi, calling it a “big cover-up". “The fact of the matter is that you will be remembered as one of the worst attorney generals in history—an attorney general who has prioritised obstruction over justice, corruption over the law, fealty to the president over loyalty to the Constitution."

Calling out Trump, Crockett addressed the US President’s “possible involvement" with Epstein, explaining that Trump is “one of the most named people in the Epstein files". As she slammed the Trump administration for “protecting paedophiles and creeps", Bondi turned the spotlight on alleged criminals convicted in Crockett’s state of Texas. “I find it interesting that she didn’t even want to try, Congresswoman Crockett, to ask any questions," said Bondi. “This is what she didn’t want to talk about."

Bondi, while responding to California representative Ted Lieu—who questioned whether Trump had attended any parties with underage girls—said: “They are trying to deflect from all the great things Donald Trump has done. There is no evidence that Donald Trump has committed a crime. Everyone knows that." She added: “You sit here and you attack the president and I’m not going to have it," Bondi told committee members. “I am not going to put up with it."

News world 'I Won't Get In The Gutter': Top 4 Moments From Pam Bondi's Fiery Epstein Files Testimony

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