Pramila Jayapal accuses Pam Bondi of 'spying' over her search history on Epstein files
WASHINGTON, DC: During a heated House Judiciary Committee hearing, Attorney General Pam Bondi was seen holding what appeared to be a printed “search history” of a Democratic lawmaker’s reviews of unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files, sparking outrage among some members of Congress.
The document reportedly showed at least eight files that Rep Pramila Jayapal had accessed. The incident has intensified ongoing scrutiny over how the Department of Justice (DOJ) is handling the newly public Epstein records and raised questions about congressional oversight and executive conduct.
Pam Bondi and Pramila Jayapal clash over search history
At the heart of the controversy was a piece of paper seen during the Wednesday, February 11, hearing labeled 'Jayapal Pramila Search History.' This list reportedly contained file numbers and descriptions of at least eight documents from the DOJ's trove of unredacted Epstein files that Jayapal, had been reviewing.
The DOJ has been allowing some members of Congress to visit its offices to search through a database of unredacted Epstein files. In recent weeks, the DOJ has released millions of records related to the offender, though many files were redacted, drawing criticism from lawmakers who argue the redactions were excessive.
Jayapal reacted strongly, calling the presentation of her search history “totally inappropriate and against the separations of powers for the DOJ to surveil us as we search the Epstein files.”
She described the document Bondi brought as a “burn book” listing exactly the emails she had searched, calling it “outrageous” and stating she intended to take action to stop what she called “spying on members.”
Jayapal’s office said she is organizing a letter to investigate what she alleges is improper surveillance of lawmakers reviewing the files. Rep Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, also criticized the incident.
Raskin said in a statement to ask the DOJ’s inspector general to examine what he called an “outrageous abuse of power.” He further told reporters, “This is just getting Orwellian with these people.”
Pramila Jayapal presses Pam Bondi over Epstein redactions
Jayapal was among several Democrats who clashed with Bondi during the hours-long hearing, which largely focused on the DOJ’s handling of the vast Epstein materials. One of the documents was an email conversation between Epstein and a prominent Emirati sultan, with the sultan’s email address redacted, which sparked criticism from lawmakers.
The other document, which has since been taken down from the DOJ's public database, was an email bearing the subject line 'Epstein victim list' and included the names of dozens of individuals with minimal redactions.
At one point, Jayapal pressed Bondi regarding failed redactions in some of the released files that left survivors’ personal information inadequately shielded. She asked survivors present at the hearing to raise their hands if they had not yet met with the DOJ, highlighting what she viewed as ongoing issues with privacy protections.
Bondi responded to Jayapal’s criticisms by attacking how the matter was handled under the Biden-era Attorney General Merrick Garland, rather than directly addressing the redaction concerns. She was quoted saying she would not “get in the gutter for her theatrics.”
Rep Suhas Subramanyam said earlier Wednesday that the department "set up four computers in a really tiny room" and created "a unique log-in and password for each one of us." He added that lawmakers were not permitted to bring phones into the room and were limited to taking written notes in a standalone notepad.
