Raskin accuses Bondi of 'Massive Epstein Cover-up,' says DOJ is 'Trump’s Instrument of Revenge’

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sharply criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi during a hearing, accusing her of withholding key documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s abuses and politicizing the Justice Department.

In his opening statement, Raskin acknowledged Epstein survivors in attendance and questioned the department’s handling of sensitive records. He also expressed concerns over recent prosecutions and investigations involving political figures, suggesting they reflected a troubling pattern. 

Raskin Opens by Naming Epstein Survivors

Raskin opened by welcoming Epstein survivors and their family members who attended the hearing, many seated behind the attorney general. He urged the departments to center their voices in their pursuit of justice. “To promote justice for the people, you've got to listen to the victims like the women seated behind you today. Those are just some of the hundreds of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's global sex trafficking ring who are demanding that the truth be told. They're demanding accountability for the abusers who trafficked and raped them,” Raskin said.

He said Bondi had yet meet with survivors and, with their permission, introduced several by name. Raskin described their presence as a demand for transparency and accountability in the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein case files.  

Dispute Over Epstein File Releases

Raskin accused the Justice Department of failing to fully comply with congressional demands to release materials connected to Epstein’s abuses. “You've been ordered by subpoena and by Congress to turn over 6 million documents, photographs and videos in the Epstein files, but you've turned over only 3 million,” he said. “You say you're not turning over the other 3 million because they're somehow duplicative… But even if it were, why not release it?”

He further criticized the department for what he described as inadequate redactions in recently released documents. “Some of the victims had come forward publicly, but many had not. Many had kept their torment private, even from family and friends, but you published their names, their identities, their images on thousands of pages for the world to see,” Raskin said.

Addressing Bondi directly, he said, “you're not showing a lot of interest in the victims, Madam Attorney General… As attorney general, you're siding with the perpetrators and you're ignoring the victims. That will be your legacy, unless you act quickly to change course. You're running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice.”

Claims of Politically Motivated Prosecutions

Beyond the Epstein matter, Raskin devoted much of his opening statement to criticizing what he described as politically driven investigations.“You've turned the people's Department of Justice into Trump's instrument of revenge,” Raskin said. “Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza and you deliver every time. He tells you to go after James Comey, Letitia James, Lisa Cook and Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve Board, and members of Congress,” he continued.

In concluding his statement, Raskin urged Bondi to use the limited questioning time efficiently, noting that committee members were restricted to five minutes each. “Please do not waste one second of our precious time by evading questions, by changing the subject for engaging in personal attacks against members of Congress,” he said, adding, “this isn't a game.”

He also referenced a prior Senate appearance in which Bondi had clashed with Democratic lawmakers. “Please set the burn book aside and answer our questions, and when you hear us reclaim our time, that means it's time for you to stop speaking,” Raskin said.