Attorney General Pam Bondi faced backlash and calls to resign from prominent conservatives after her heated hearing about the Epstein files with the House Judiciary Committee this week.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment via its press contact form.
The release of documents related to Epstein, a financier who died by suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking, has created a political firestorm for the White House. Critics have accused the administration officials, including Bondi, of slow-walking the release of the files despite an overwhelming majority of Congress voting to force their release late last year.
Bondi testified on Wednesday about the files but faced criticism for appearing to deflect on multiple questions from lawmakers. The hearing grew contentious at multiple points, with the attorney general engaging in personal clashes with lawmakers.
Conservatives such as Kyle Rittenhouse have spoken out against Bondi following the hearing.
"Pam Bondi needs to resign. Harmeet Dhillon for AG!" Rittenhouse, who gained notoriety in August 2020 when he fatally shot two men during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for Black Lives Matter, wrote in a post to X. He was acquitted of all charges in November 2021.
Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, told CNN that she has "lost all faith in our Justice Department. It's a system of injustice."
Tim Pool also raised concerns about her performance, saying, "Man, we are a nation of adult children. I think Pam Bondi has done a...I give her more credit than people do. I was about to say that I think she's done a decent job, but I can't. It's just...I can't say it," reported The Daily Beast.
Conservative commentator Erick Erickson wrote in a Substack post that Bondi should "resign or be fired" after her "ridiculous performance."
"Before her defenders insist she must be smart because she went to law school, I would remind them, to quote another famous law school graduate and recent Vice President, that 'we can see what is possible unburdened by what has been.' What is possible is a more competent Attorney General," he wrote.
GOP Congressional candidate Mike Wilnau wrote to X, "Attorney General Pam Bondi should resign immediately."
The Epstein files detail material, including emails from investigations into Epstein's actions. Congress voted to compel their release last year, forcing the DOJ to make them public. Members of Congress were able to view unredacted versions of the documents earlier this week.
Trump came to Bondi's defense in a Truth Social post Thursday morning.
"AG Pam Bondi, under intense fire from the Trump Deranged Radical Left Lunatics, was fantastic at yesterday's Hearing on the never ending saga of Jeffrey Epstein, where the one thing that has been proven conclusively, much to their chagrin, was that President Donald J. Trump has been 100% exonerated of their ridiculous Russia, Russia, Russia type charges," he wrote.
The attorney general clashed with both Democrats and Republicans during the hearing.
During one moment, Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has led efforts to secure the release of the files, accused her of being caught "red-handed" over edits to an FBI document.
Massie pressed Bondi on whether the Justice Department could identify who obscured billionaire Les Wexner's name as a co-conspirator in the document. Bondi responded that the issue was corrected "within 40 minutes." Massie shot back: "Within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed." Massie later called her out on X.
Later in the hearing, Representative Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, asked her about whether the DOJ would commit to releasing an unredacted Epstein email, arguing the public should see the extent of Donald Trump's ties to the disgraced financier.
Bondi shot back by mocking Goldman's past role in Trump's first impeachment, asking if he had "apologized" for it. When Goldman repeated his demand, Bondi responded, "Privileged. Privileged," before telling him not to yell.
Massie later called her out on X over her "insults."
"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," he wrote.
Bondi is also facing growing impeachment calls over the hearing.
"Something seems... different. IMPEACH AND [CONVICT] PAM BONDI," Democratic Congressional candidate Jennifer Jenkins wrote to X.
Democratic Congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti wrote, "This is actually Trump's message: The stock market is doing well, so we don't have to prosecute pedophiles. Bondi is covering for the most heinous criminals. Impeach her. Make every Republican try defending this."
Representative Shri Thanedar, a Michigan Democrat, already introduced articles of impeachment against Bondi earlier in February, prior to the hearing, accusing her of "engaging in a conspiracy to cover up the Epstein files and a child trafficking ring."
Representative Thomas Massie wrote to X: "Yesterday in @JudiciaryGOP, @AGPamBondi hurled personal insults instead of answering my legitimate questions about major gaps and serious flaws in the Epstein Files Transparency Act document production."
Conservative commentator Evan Kilgore wrote to X: "Rep. Jayapal just asked Epstein survivors at the DOJ oversight hearing to raise their hand if Trump's DOJ has not met with them. Every single victim raised their hand. Pam Bondi has failed the American people and must resign immediately. This is bad."
Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, wrote to X: "Attorney General Bondi is spying on Members of Congress, going through our search histories of the Epstein Files. This goes against the separation of powers in this country and is totally unacceptable."
The Epstein files are likely to remain a sticking point for the Trump administration. Betting odds show the chances of a Bondi exit have jumped, but she has shown no signs of resigning. Impeachment would face tough odds in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives; while many on the right have been critical of her handling of the Epstein files, it's not clear there's enough support for impeachment.