Walls closing in on Bondi over ‘sloppy’ handling of Epstein files: report
Attorney General Pam Bondi has come under fire as a bipartisan group of senators has called for a new investigation on Wednesday over her handling of the Epstein files.
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have demanded that the Government Accountability Office launch a probe to investigate the Department of Justice's efforts, The Daily Beast reported.
The group has questioned Bondi's DOJ and its "controversial efforts" with its partial release of documents, such as missing the December deadline required under the Epstein Transparency Act to release all the materials.
"This sloppy job was nearly the opposite of how information regarding some powerful people was treated, they argued," The Beast reported.
The senators wrote the following in an open letter, criticizing the DOJ, CNBC reported. They specifically asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the release of the files "has served to cover up child sexual abuse."
“Contrary to Congress’s explicit directive to protect victims, these records included email addresses and nude photos in which the names and faces of publicly-identified and non-public victims could be identified. But when it came to information identifying powerful business and political figures who are alleged coconspirators or material witnesses, DOJ appears to have heavily redacted those records.”
The move was the latest in a series of questions surrounding Bondi, the DOJ and the Trump administration. Last week, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi over why the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files have not been released in compliance with federal law. That came after Bondi's fiery — and combative — testimony before Congress in February.
Reports indicate that Bondi could be in hot water with Republicans, especially after President Donald Trump, who was a former friend of Epstein, decided to remove former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and demote her to a new role after a contentious hearing with lawmakers last week.