Attorney General Pam Bondi Grilled by Senate Over DOJ ‘Weaponization’ and Epstein Files
Attorney General Pam Bondi Grilled by Senate Over DOJ ‘Weaponization’ and Epstein Files
Attorney General Pam Bondi faced intense questioning from Senate Democrats on October 7, 2025, regarding allegations of the Justice Department’s “weaponization” under the Trump administration and its handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s files. The contentious hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee followed a tumultuous summer for the DOJ, marked by controversies and a significant exodus of career officials.
Chairman Chuck Grassley (R) initiated the hearing by criticizing what he labeled the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, citing selective disclosures by FBI Director Kash Patel concerning the investigation into former President Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss. Grassley highlighted the FBI’s seeking of limited phone toll records of several Republican senators around the Jan. 6 attack, calling it a “political phishing expedition.”
Ranking Democratic member Dick Durbin (D) launched a scathing attack on the Trump administration and Attorney General Bondi, accusing her of systematically using the DOJ to protect President Trump and his allies while targeting political opponents. Durbin cited federal law enforcement deployments to Democratic-run cities, the controversial indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, the dropping of cases like the Eric Adams case, and the handling of the Epstein files as evidence of politicization. He noted that hundreds of senior career officials had been purged since Bondi’s tenure began, stating, “What has taken place since Jan. 20, 2025, would make even President Nixon recoil. This is your legacy.”
Bondi vehemently pushed back against her critics, framing her tenure as the “end” of law enforcement weaponization and a return to fighting real crime, while asserting her efforts to enact President Trump’s agenda. She defended the department’s string of victories at the Supreme Court and, in a heated exchange, taunted Senator Durbin about Chicago’s crime rate, stating, “I wish you love Chicago as much as you hate President Trump.”
A significant portion of the hearing focused on Bondi’s conflicting statements regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files. Democrats pressed her on the administration’s refusal to release further documents and accused the DOJ of a cover-up to protect high-profile individuals with past associations with Epstein. Bondi refused to elaborate on her previous comments about reviewing the files, deflecting questions by surfacing alleged donations to Democrats from entrepreneur Reid Hoffman, who reportedly had past associations with Epstein.
Democrats also questioned Bondi on President Trump’s directives to ramp up investigations into “radical left” organizations, specifically mentioning the Open Society Foundations. The organization has called these accusations “politically motivated attacks.” Bondi largely brushed off these questions, deflecting to crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in the senators’ states and districts.
The hearing further exposed turmoil within the DOJ, particularly concerning the controversial indictment of James Comey. Sources revealed that the move came over the objections of career prosecutors and followed the removal of a U.S. Attorney who had expressed reservations. Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel publicly supported the indictment. A letter from nearly 300 former DOJ employees, released on the eve of the hearing, described Bondi’s leadership as “appalling” and called for more vigorous congressional oversight. Bondi refused to discuss any conversations she may have had with President Trump regarding the Comey indictment, citing attorney-client privilege.
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