US Politics
Pam Bondi slammed as ‘creepy’ after document appears to show DOJ is tracking lawmaker searches of the Epstein files
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Attorney General Pam Bondi has been labelled as “creepy” after a new document appeared to show that the DOJ is tracking which Epstein files are being accessed by members of Congress.
Lawmakers have recently been allowed to view the unredacted versions of files made available to the public, as the DOJ complies with an order to release all documents related to the convicted pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
However, during a hearing related to the Epstein case, Bondi was spotted with a document that appeared to contain all files accessed by Representative Pramila Jayapal on a DOJ computer, which allowed unrestricted access to those files.
The document appeared to read, “Jayapal Pramila Search History” and included a diagram related to Epstein.
The alleged surveillance of members of Congress has been widely condemned, with even prominent Trump ally Nancy Mace taking a swipe at her own party.
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“It’s creepy,” said Mace to a reporter from Zeteo News. “I’m pretty tech savvy. I’ve played around with the system.
“They’re tracking every file that we open, and when we open it. They’re tracking everything.”
However, Mace refused to elaborate on how she learned that the DOJ was allegedly tracking how members of Congress use the files.
“I don’t want to say because I don’t want them to hide it,” she said.
She doubled down on her claims on X, suggesting that the DOJ had marked all documents that are searched for, opened and reviewed. Mace even claimed that the DOJ used the technology “timestamp” when the files were opened.
Representative Jayapal hit out at the news, too, branding the tracking of Congresspeople as “inappropriate” while being interviewed on MSNOW.
The relationship between Jayapal and Bondi was already strained, with the attorney general stating that she was “not going to get in the gutter with this woman” during her hearing.
“She’s doing theatrics,” Bondi added.
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But Representative Jayapal did not back down and declared that she intended to stop the files from being tracked.
“Bondi showed up today with a burn book that held a printed search history of exactly what emails I searched,” she wrote on X. “That is outrageous and I intend to pursue this and stop this spying on members.”
The revelation has sparked fears that the files could become weaponized by Republicans.
California Representative Zoe Lofgren said the alleged surveillance by Bondi’s DOJ was “improper” but “not a surprise given their misconduct in so many areas.”
“They log you in under your name, so it’s clearly – they’re going to try and make something of it,” she said on The Arena with Kasie Hunt.
“They tried to protect the offenders, the co-conspirators. It’s their names that are blacked out,” she continued.
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Bondi has yet to comment further on the alleged surveillance of Congresspeople, as her party grapples with the fallout of her fiery appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.
The attorney general was appearing before Congress to answer questions about the slow release of the Epstein files, as well as allegedly releasing files that did not adequately redact the names of the pedophile’s victims.
Bondi raised her voice several times during the hearing, at one point shouting, “No, I’m going to answer the question the way I want to answer the question!”
“No, you’re going to answer the question the way I asked it!” Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler snapped back.
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Bondi also hurled several insults during the hearing, branding Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin as a “washed-up loser” and the meeting as “ridiculous.”
The hearing heightened tensions surrounding the handling of the Epstein files, with Republican Congressman Thomas Massie making a personal jab against Bondi on X.
“A funny thing about Bondi’s insults to members of Congress who had serious questions,” Massie wrote. “Staff literally gave her flash cards with individualized insults, but she couldn’t memorize them, so you can see her shuffle through them to find the flash-cards-insult that matches the member.”
The Independent has contacted the DOJ, Representative Jayapal and Representative Mace for comment.
