Rattled Bondi lashes out as she evades Democrats’ questions on who is being investigated from Epstein files: Live updates

Attorney General Pam Bondi pivoted to discussing the Dow to defend questions about her performance leading the Department of Justice.

“The Dow is over 50,000 right now. The S&P at almost 7,000 and the NASDAQ smashing records. Americans’ 401Ks and retirement savings are booming,” she said.

“That’s what we should be talking about. We should be talking about making Americans safe.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler and Attorney General Pam Bondi got into a heated exchange after the New York Democrat asked how many of Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirators she indicted and how many were being investigated.

“How many have you indicted?” Nadler asked. “How many perpetrators are you even investigating?”

Nadler repeated his question and Bondi responded, “Excuse me, I’m going to answer the question.”

“Answer my question,” Nadler replied.

“No, I’m going to answer the question the way I want to answer the question,” Bondi said. “Your theatrics are ridiculous...Chairman Jordan, I’m not going to get into the gutter with these people.”

Bondi and Nadler proceeded to speak over each other before Nadler loudly proclaimed he was reclaiming his time.

Rep. Jamie Raskin then jumped in, “You can filibuster all day long, but not on our watch, not on our time. No way. I told you about that, attorney general, before you started.”

"You don't tell me anything you washed-up loser lawyer — not even a lawyer,” Bondi replied.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to turn to face the survivors and apologize for the “absolutely unacceptable” release of the Epstein files.

Jayapal asked the Epstein survivors at the hearing to raise their hand if they still have not met with Bondi’s Department of Justice — and all of the survivors present raised their hand.

The Washington Democrat then asked Bondi to turn to the survivors to apologize for “what your Department of Justice has put them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein files and their information.”

The Congresswoman and attorney general went back and forth on the issue, as the group of survivors stood directly behind Bondi.

Bondi accused Jayapal of “doing theatrics,” and refused to turn to face the survivors and apologize.

“I wish that you would turn around to the survivors who are standing right behind them, and on a human level, apologize to them for what you have done,” Jayapal added as her time was up.

Attorney General Pam Bondi apologized to the victims for the pain they’ve suffered at the hands of “that monster,” Jeffrey Epstein.

“I’m a career prosecutor, and despite what the ranking member said, I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” Bondi said.

“I am deeply sorry for what any victim, any victim, has been through, especially as a result of that monster,” she added.

Bondi noted the DOJ is doing its best to protect victims, but added, “if you brought us a victim’s name that was inadvertently released, we immediately redacted it.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, criticized the five-minute limit per member as insufficient.

“Please do not waste one second of our precious time by evading questions, by changing the subject, or engaging in personal attacks against members of Congress,” Raskin told Bondi.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, kicked off Wednesday’s hearing by introducing Attorney General Pam Bondi to the Epstein survivors present.

“You’ve got the best lawyer’s job in America because your mission is justice, and your clients are the American people. But to promote justice for the people, you’ve got to listen to the victims. Like the women seated behind you today,” Raskin began.

“Those are just some of the hundreds of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s global sex trafficking ring who are demanding that the truth be told, and are demanding accountability for the abusers who trafficked and raped them.”

Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, noted that since Bondi still has not met with the survivors, he would introduce them.

“With their permission, let me introduce to you, the survivors and late survivors’ family members who are present today,” Raskin said before listing off names.

Raskin then accused Bondi of running “a massive Epstein coverup, right out of the Department of Justice.”

“You’ve been ordered by subpoena and by Congress to turn over six million documents, photos and videos in the Epstein files, but you’ve turned over only three million,” Raskin added.

Attorney General Pam Bondi will testify before the House Judiciary Committee starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

There are 44 lawmakers on the committee, and each member will receive five minutes to ask questions.

Nancy Mace, the Republican firebrand from South Carolina, landed a harsh rebuke on U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick after he admitted having lunch with Jeffrey Epstein on the disgraced financier’s island in 2012.

On Tuesday, Lutnick told the Senate Appropriations Committee, "We had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour", prompting calls for him to resign from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Speaking in an interview with NewsNation host Katie Pavlich afterwards, Mace said she was glad Lutnick had disclosed the meeting under oath during his Senate testimony this week, but criticized his decision to meet with Epstein after the disgraced financier's 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution.

"It is not criminal, I mean that is the truth, and I’m glad that he told the truth under oath today," she said.

But she added, "As a mom, I wouldn’t sit and have lunch with a convicted pedophile. I don’t think that’s something that I would personally do, but that’s my personal choice."

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Rep. Thomas Massie suggested holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt, a day before she is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.

Massie, who co-authored the legislation forcing the release of the files, made the suggestion during an interview Tuesday with CNN’s The Source, according to Mediaite.

“The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,” he said.

The lawmaker, a Republican from Kentucky, said the option is on the table if Bondi does not own up to the mistakes made — and confirm more files will be released.

“You know, it’s hard to refer to a contempt [charge] or things like that on an attorney general to the attorney general. This is the problem that you run into,” he said. “And so it’s going to be very difficult. But we can compel other people to come testify.”