Washington, 16 February (H.S.): Representative Thomas Massie declared on Sunday he has lost confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi following a fiery House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, where she deflected questions about the Justice Department's handling of Jeffrey Epstein's files with personal attacks rather than substantive answers.

Massie, who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Representative Ro Khanna, criticized Bondi for resorting to name-calling—labeling him a failed politician with Trump derangement syndrome—instead of addressing why key documents remain redacted under deliberative-process privilege, despite the law's mandate for full disclosure of prosecutorial decision memos.

Hearing Clashes and Victim Snub

During the four-hour session, Bondi refused to apologize to Epstein survivors present in the room, rebuffing Representative Pramila Jayapal's request to face them with, I'm not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics, even as victims raised hands indicating they had never met with the DoJ.

Chairman Jim Jordan intervened to curb Bondi's interruptions, while Democrats like Jamie Raskin accused her of siding with perpetrators by withholding three million of six million ordered files—including victim statements—and protecting figures like Leslie Wexner, whose name appeared hundreds of times before belated unredaction.

Unresolved Probes and Wexner Questions

Massie highlighted the DoJ's failure to prosecute Wexner—Epstein's former client listed among six initially redacted wealthy, powerful men—noting a 2019 assurance to Wexner's counsel that he was merely an information source, not a target, despite extensive file mentions.

Bondi's Saturday letter to Congress, complying with the Act, listed prominent names like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Prince Andrew alongside unexpected figures such as Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley, clarifying contexts range from direct contacts to incidental references, with no wrongdoing implied.

The exchanges underscore deepening bipartisan frustration over the DoJ's Epstein management, from accidental victim exposures to prior improper redactions, as Massie stressed the transparency push centers on survivor justice, not political figures.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar