Ranking member accuses Attorney General Bondi of Epstein-file cover-up and politicizing DOJ

An unidentified ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee accused Attorney General Bondi on the committee floor of "running a massive Epstein cover up right out of the Department of Justice," saying Bondi had not met with survivors and had mishandled materials subpoenaed by Congress.

The ranking member said survivors were seated behind Bondi and introduced several by name, including Teresa Helm, Jess Michaels, Laura Bloom McGee, Danny Bensky, Liz Stein, Marina Licerda, Skye and Amanda Roberts (family of Virginia Giuffre), Charlene Rouchard and Lisa Phillips. "You still haven't met with these survivors," the ranking member said.

The ranking member alleged the department had been ordered to produce 6,000,000 documents, photographs and videos related to the Epstein investigation but had produced only 3,000,000, arguing the remainder were not merely duplicative and could contain "memos of victim statements." He said the portion produced showed extensive redactions that hid the names of alleged abusers while—contrary to congressional direction—failing to redact many victims' names. "So it's clearly not all duplicative," the ranking member said.

The remarks framed the alleged records problems as part of a broader pattern of politicization. The ranking member listed personnel moves and prosecutions he described as politically motivated, naming officials and appointments he said reflected the department "used by the president to pursue political prosecutions." He cited the resignations of career prosecutors who he said refused to follow directives, and named Danielle Sassoon and Hagen Scotton as officials who left rather than carry out orders described by the ranking member as unlawful.

The ranking member also criticized the handling of Ghislaine Maxwell, saying she was transferred from higher-security custody to a minimum-security facility in Texas where she received what he called "5 star treatment, including catered meals, private gym time, and access to a therapy puppy," after being subpoenaed to testify to Congress. He attributed that transfer to Todd Blanche and suggested it reflected Department priorities he described as favoring certain interests over victims.

The ranking member further alleged the DOJ had blocked state and local investigators' access to evidence in several killings cited during his remarks, and said recent grand juries had rejected indictments he characterized as politically driven. He named multiple public figures and officials whom he said had been targeted for prosecution and warned the department against repeating those efforts.

All of the claims above were made by the ranking member in his opening remarks in the provided transcript; the transcript does not contain a response from Attorney General Bondi in the captured segments. Several factual claims in the remarks—such as the number of produced documents, the nature of particular redactions, personnel actions, and detention conditions—were presented as allegations by the ranking member and are reported here as such.

The ranking member asked for additional time for questioning and said the committee would enforce time limits if Bondi spoke over reclaimed time. He then yielded back. The proceeding continued after an objection interrupted his closing sentence.