Bondi had list of a Democratic lawmaker’s Epstein files “search history” during Capitol Hill hearing

A high-profile House Democrat is accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi of “spying” on her search history while she pored through Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, after Bondi was seen at a combative congressional hearing Wednesday with what appeared to be a list of the lawmaker’s searches.

One of the printouts that Bondi referenced during the hearing was a list labeled “Jayapal Pramila Search History,” referring to Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington. The document listed out at least eight different files from the Justice Department’s trove of Epstein records, including their file numbers and brief descriptions of their contents, according to images snapped by photojournalists who covered the hearing.

It’s not entirely clear how the list was compiled, but since Monday, the Justice Department has allowed several members of Congress to visit its offices and search through a database of unredacted Epstein files. In recent weeks, the department has made millions of records on the late sex offender public, but with redactions to take out survivors’ names and other information, drawing criticism from some lawmakers who argue the redactions were excessive.

Jayapal said in a statement to CBS News on Wednesday: “It is totally inappropriate and against the separations of powers for the DOJ to surveil us as we search the Epstein files.” 

“Bondi showed up today with a burn book that held a printed search history of exactly what emails I searched,” said the Democrat, who previously chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “That is outrageous and I intend to pursue this and stop this spying on members.”

Jayapal’s office said she is organizing a letter seeking to investigate what she alleges is improper surveillance of lawmakers who reviewed the Epstein files.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement Wednesday he will ask the Justice Department’s Inspector General to investigate what he called an “outrageous abuse of power.”

“This is just getting Orwellian with these people,” Raskin told reporters, adding: “They better cut it out immediately, now that they’ve been caught.”

CBS News has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Jayapal was among the Democrats who sparred with Bondi during an hourslong and often pugilistic House Judiciary Committee hearing that focused largely on the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files.

At one point, Jayapal pressed Bondi over the fact that some Epstein survivors’ personal information was left unredacted. She asked survivors who attended the hearing to raise their hands if they had not yet met with the Justice Department, and asked Bondi to apologize for failing to shield their personal information.

Bondi responded by criticizing Biden-era Attorney General Merrick Garland over his handling of the Epstein matter, and said: “I’m not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics.”