Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, delivered opening remarks at the full committee hearing examining Attorney General Pam Bondi’s failed leadership of the Department of Justice (DOJ), including her grotesque mishandling of the Epstein investigation.
Raskin, who taught constitutional law at American University Washington College of Law for more than 25 years, implored Bondi to “talk about serious law” rather than opting for personal attacks. Bondi repeatedly clashed with lawmakers as she was grilled over the Trump administration’s handling of the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
The hearing quickly devolved into a series of tense exchanges, with shouting and personal insults being hurled between the country’s top federal prosecutor and Democrats on the panel. Raskin, the ranking member on the committee, chided Bondi for talking over a member who had reclaimed his time. The Maryland Democrat criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier this week for making “mysterious redactions” in the Epstein files that shielded some names.
He also accused the DOJ of engaging in “Orwellian” behavior by seemingly surveilling lawmakers who came to the agency’s headquarters to view the unredacted files and tracking their search histories.