Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the Justice Department’s handling of documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, stating that more than three million pages of materials have been released and that the department did “the best it could to protect the victims.” Bondi made the remarks Wednesday, February 11, 2026, during a hearing before Congress in Washington. Democratic lawmakers, however, accused her of a “cover-up.”
Bondi explained that hundreds of attorneys and other experts had spent “thousands of hours meticulously reviewing millions of pages.” Congress had legally mandated the release of most documents and investigative materials related to the Epstein scandal. However, the Justice Department was late in complying, and numerous redactions were made throughout the released files.
Raskin: “Massive Epstein Cover-Up”
Representative Jamie Raskin, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, accused Bondi of orchestrating a “massive Epstein cover-up.” He stated that of approximately six million documents, photos, and videos, the department has only released just over half.
Raskin also claimed that the names of numerous “perpetrators, enablers, accomplices, and co-conspirators” of Epstein were redacted, while the names of victims were, in some cases, not properly anonymized as required. Several Epstein survivors were present at Bondi’s hearing. The release of these files and the subsequent scrutiny highlight the ongoing international effort to address the widespread abuse perpetrated by Epstein and his associates.
Bondi told Jeffrey Epstein’s victims she was “deeply sorry” for their suffering during the House Judiciary Committee hearing, according to reports. She then clashed with Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who pressed her to apologize for releasing victims’ names in recently disclosed files.
During the hearing, Bondi reportedly shouted at Democratic members of Congress, repeatedly defending President Donald Trump and attempting to move past criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files. The contentious exchange underscores the highly charged political atmosphere surrounding the investigation.
