Topline
Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to answer a series of questions about the Justice Department’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and any findings related to President Donald Trump in a combative hearing with senators Tuesday—as Bondi has come under fire from both sides of the aisle over her failed promises to reveal details of the probe.
Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Bondi has faced bipartisan criticism since the Justice Department said in July it would not release details of its probe into Epstein, despite repeated promises from Trump on the campaign trail to do so.
Bondi did not answer directly when asked (by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.) if the FBI found photographs of Trump “with half-naked young women” that Epstein allegedly showed people, if her agency planned to probe Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about his recent allegations that Epstein had blackmailed people (by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.) or when asked (by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.) who ordered the DOJ to note anything related to Trump while reviewing the documents related to its Epstein investigation.
Bondi instead frequently attacked her questioners, accusing Whitehouse, of “taking money from one of Epstein’s closest confidants,” apparently referring to campaign donations from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, who raised money from Epstein on behalf of the M.I.T. Media Lab.
She also refused to say whether she knew anything about Lutnick’s recent comments in the New York Post calling Epstein “the greatest blackmailer ever,” despite Bondi saying previously there was no evidence Epstein blackmailed anyone: “If Howard Lutnick wants to speak to the F.B.I.,” he can do that, Bondi said.
In another tense exchange during the hearing, Bondi raised her voice in telling Durbin, “I wish you’d love Chicago as much as you hate President Trump,” when he asked if her agency had been consulted about his deployment of National Guard troops there.
Bondi Won’t Answer Questions About U.s. Attacks On Venezuelan Boats
When asked about the U.S. military’s controversial series of strikes on alleged drug boats from Venezuela, and whether her department signed off on them, she said “I’m not going to discuss any legal advice that my department may or may not have given.”
Bondi Deflects Questions About Border Czar’s Alleged $50,000 Cash Gift
Deflecting again when asked if Trump border czar Tom Homan accepted $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents in a bribery sting last year, Bondi told Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Ma., he should “apologize to Donald Trump” for his previous participation in Trump impeachment investigations, calling Schiff “a failed lawyer.”
Tangent
Bondi repeatedly lobbed accusations at Democratic senators on the panel throughout the hearing, accusing Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., of “storming” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Padilla was forcibly removed by Noem’s security detail when got up and approached Noem to ask a question at a press conference in Los Angeles in June. FBI agents then pushed him into a hallway and forced him to the ground, face down and handcuffed him.
Key Background
Bondi’s Justice Department is leading a series of investigations into Trump’s political adversaries, and recently announced it indicted former FBI Director James Comey, accusing him of lying to Congress during an interview about his agency’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Bondi also refused to answer questions in Tuesday’s hearing about the reported forced resignation of former U.S. attorney in eastern Virginia, Erik Siebert, over his alleged refusal to prosecute Comey. Earlier this year, Bondi became the chief lightning rod for attacks from some high-profile figures in Trump’s base over the Justice Department’s refusal to release the Epstein files after Bondi told Fox News in February the so-called “Epstein list” of his clients was “sitting on my desk right now.” The Justice Department, in announcing it wouldn’t make the documents public as previously promised, said in July no such list exists.
Further Reading
Pam Bondi Under Fire From MAGA —Megyn Kelly, Laura Loomer And More—Over Epstein Probe (Forbes)
Tucker Carlson Blasts Pam Bondi For ‘A Bunch Of Ludicrous Claims’ About Epstein Files—As Backlash Mounts (Forbes)
Ex-FBI Director James Comey Indicted Amid Push To Prosecute Trump Opponents (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/10/07/bondi-deflects-questions-about-epstein-homan-bribery-probe-national-guard-and-more/
