During a tense House of Representatives hearing, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky accused US Attorney General Pam Bondi of concealing the names of powerful associates of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The accusations came as Bondi faced scrutiny over how the Justice Department handled investigative files related to Epstein.
Massie, who played a leading role in pushing for the release of these files, described the department’s actions as a “massive failure” to comply with the law. He specifically questioned why billionaire Leslie Wexner’s name had been redacted from an FBI document listing potential co-conspirators in Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation.
Bondi Responds
Bondi defended the department, noting that Wexner’s name appeared in numerous other released files. She said that the name was restored in the questioned document “within 40 minutes” of Massie pointing out the omission. Massie responded sarcastically, “Forty minutes of me catching you red-handed.”
Frustration Over Redactions
Members of the House Judiciary Committee expressed frustration over the number of redactions in the files and the large volume of material the department withheld. Several survivors of Epstein’s alleged crimes were present in the public gallery during the hearing.
The Justice Department released what it called the final batch of over three million pages of documents last month. The release renewed public attention on wealthy and influential figures who maintained ties with Epstein even after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
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Lawmakers noted that many redactions appeared to exceed the limited exemptions allowed under a law passed by Congress nearly unanimously last November. The department also cited legal privileges in refusing to publish significant portions of the material.
Heated Exchanges
Bondi’s responses often included personal attacks on lawmakers. At one point, she accused Democrats of being indifferent to crime victims in their districts and referred to the committee’s top Democrat as a “washed-up lawyer,” a notably partisan remark from the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.
She emphasized that over 500 Justice Department lawyers worked under a compressed timeline to review the documents and that any disclosure of victims’ identities had been unintentional. “I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” Bondi said in her opening statement.
Background on Leslie Wexner
Leslie Wexner, the former CEO and founder of Victoria’s Secret-owner L Brands, employed Epstein as his personal money manager starting in the 1980s. Wexner has maintained that he severed ties around 2007 after Epstein was first criminally charged and has denied knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities. He has not faced any criminal accusations.
Bondi and the Epstein Files
The Epstein files have been a recurring challenge for Bondi throughout her tenure as Attorney General under former President Donald Trump. Last summer, the department’s initial decision not to release further material drew sharp criticism from some of Trump’s supporters and renewed scrutiny over Trump’s past association with Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington asked Bondi to apologize to victims for how the files were released, including instances where victims’ names were disclosed. Bondi, however, refused, questioning why similar scrutiny had not been applied to her predecessor under President Joe Biden, and stated she would not “get in the gutter for her theatrics.”
Political Context
Bondi appeared before the Republican-controlled committee the day after a federal grand jury declined to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a video urging the US military not to follow unlawful orders. Critics argue that the Justice Department’s tradition of independence in criminal investigations has weakened as it has pursued investigations into Trump’s political opponents while aligning with his grievances.
The department had also unsuccessfully sought to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom led investigations into Trump.
