A House Judiciary Committee hearing turned tense and chaotic after Attorney General Pam Bondi refused a request from Representative Pramila Jayapal to address victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who were seated in the audience.

During her questioning, Jayapal accused the Justice Department of shielding the identities of some Epstein associates while repeatedly revealing the names or identifying details of victims, despite legal requirements to protect them.

Pramila Jayapal Asks Epstein Victims to Stand, Demands Apology

Jayapal asked the 11 victims present in the hearing room to stand if they wished. She also asked them to raise their hands if they had not yet met with officials from the Trump Justice Department. All 11 stood and raised their hands.

She then urged Bondi to “turn to them now and apologize for what your Department of Justice has put them through.” Bondi declined and accused Jayapal of staging “theatrics.”

Jayapal Presses Bondi to Take Responsibility

The attorney general began referencing her predecessor, Merrick Garland, but Jayapal interrupted her and insisted the focus should be on current leadership.

“This is not about anybody that came before you. It is about you taking responsibility for your Department of Justice and the harm that it has done to the survivors who are standing right behind you and are waiting for you to turn to them and apologise,” The Hill quoted Jayapal as saying.

Bondi replied that she was not going “to get in the gutter with these theatrics.” At the end of the exchange, she muttered, “unprofessional.”

Jerry Nadler Questions DOJ on Epstein Co-Conspirators

Tensions continued when Bondi entered another heated exchange with Representative Jerry Nadler and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin.

After citing several Trump opponents who have faced charges or investigations by the Justice Department, Nadler asked, “How many of Epstein’s co-conspirators have you indicted? How many perpetrators are you even investigating?”

Bondi responded, “I’m going to answer the question the way I want to answer the question. Chairman [Jim] Jordan, I’m not going to get in the gutter with these people.”

Clash With Jamie Raskin Escalates Dispute

As Raskin urged Chairman Jim Jordan to stop the clock and restore Nadler’s time, Bondi fired back and said the constitutional law expert is “not even a lawyer.”

Pam Bondi Defends Trump, Criticizes Democrats

Bondi then broadened her remarks and criticized Democrats. “You all should be apologizing. You sit here and you attack the president,” Bondi said. “This has been around since the Obama administration. This Administration released over 3 million pages of documents. Over 3 million. And Donald Trump signed that law to release all of those documents. He is the most transparent president in the nation’s history,” she said.