Pam Bondi accused of ‘running a massive Epstein coverup out of the DOJ’ as she faces grilling by lawmakers: Live updates
Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing questioning from lawmakers Wednesday over the Justice Department’s handling of the release of records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee will probe Bondi on how the Justice Department determined what should and should not be made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Only a small portion of the files were released by the December 19 deadline. Another batch was released on December 23, and five weeks later, a third, larger group consisting of three million pages of documents was released. The DOJ then said it had fulfilled its obligations under the act.
However, the DOJ has been met with scrutiny over its handling of the case, with many Democrats and even some Republicans saying it has over-redacted some documents, while inconsistently redacting others and exposing survivors.
Bondi has faced significant backlash over her handling of the Epstein files, and this week admitted in a letter to federal judges that mistakes were made in the case. Wednesday will be the first time the attorney general appears before Congress since October, when she clashed with Democrats over claims that she has weaponized the Justice Department against President Donald Trump’s enemies.
She is also likely to be pressed by lawmakers about investigations by the Justice Department and the FBI into the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration officers in Minnesota last month.
Pam Bondi testifies before Congress over Epstein files handling – watch live
Isabel Keane11 February 2026 15:11
Bondi hearing set to begin
Attorney General Pam Bondi will testify before the House Judiciary Committee starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
There are 44 lawmakers on the committee, and each member will receive five minutes to ask questions.
Isabel Keane11 February 2026 15:02
Nancy Mace lands blow on Trump official over Epstein revelation: ‘I wouldn’t have lunch with a pedophile’
Nancy Mace, the Republican firebrand from South Carolina, landed a harsh rebuke on U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick after he admitted having lunch with Jeffrey Epstein on the disgraced financier’s island in 2012.
On Tuesday, Lutnick told the Senate Appropriations Committee, “We had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour”, prompting calls for him to resign from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Speaking in an interview with NewsNation host Katie Pavlich afterwards, Mace said she was glad Lutnick had disclosed the meeting under oath during his Senate testimony this week, but criticized his decision to meet with Epstein after the disgraced financier’s 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution.
“It is not criminal, I mean that is the truth, and I’m glad that he told the truth under oath today,” she said.
But she added, “As a mom, I wouldn’t sit and have lunch with a convicted pedophile. I don’t think that’s something that I would personally do, but that’s my personal choice.”
Isabel Keane11 February 2026 14:13
Massie floats contempt charges for Pam Bondi if she tries to dodge Epstein questions at Congressional hearing
Rep. Thomas Massie suggested holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt, a day before she is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.
Massie, who co-authored the legislation forcing the release of the files, made the suggestion during an interview Tuesday with CNN’s The Source, according to Mediaite.
“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” he said.
The lawmaker, a Republican from Kentucky, said the option is on the table if Bondi does not own up to the mistakes made — and confirm more files will be released.
“You know, it’s hard to refer to a contempt [charge] or things like that on an attorney general to the attorney general. This is the problem that you run into,” he said. “And so it’s going to be very difficult. But we can compel other people to come testify.”
Isabel Keane11 February 2026 13:39
