Republican congressman says he has no confidence in Pam Bondi as AG
- Republican Congressman Thomas Massie stated he has no confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi.
- Massie criticized Bondi’s combative testimony before the House Judiciary Committee regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
- The congressman accused Bondi of name-calling and failing to provide accountability for the Justice Department.
- Massie also noted Bondi’s refusal to look at Epstein survivors during the hearing was “cold.”
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky said he doesn’t have confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi, especially after her combative appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.
Massie said on ABC News’ “This Week” on Feb. 15 that he didn’t approve of Bondi’s conduct and her responses when she was asked about the Justice Department’s release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the Feb. 11 hearing. At the hearing, Bondi and Massie had a testy exchange, a rarity for two Republicans.
“I don’t think she did very well,” Massie told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “She came with a book full of insults, one for each congressperson. She obviously had one for me.”
Raddatz asked Massie, who represents Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District and who co-wrote the law requiring the release of the Epstein files, whether he had confidence in Bondi.
“I don’t think Pam Bondi has confidence in Pam Bondi,” Massie replied. “She wasn’t confident enough to engage in anything but name-calling in a hearing, and so no, I don’t have confidence in her. She hasn’t got any sort of accountability there at the DOJ.”
Massie responds to the fiery back-and-forth with Bondi
Massie’s TV interview on ABC came days after Bondi said, under questioning at the hearing, that Massie had “Trump derangement syndrome,” and called him “a failed politician,” taking a page out of President Donald Trump’s playbook.
Massie, a known foe of Trump who opposed the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, faces primary challenges from Ed Gallrein, whom Trump has endorsed, and fellow Kentucky GOP congressman Andy Barr.
Bondi’s explosive hearing on Feb. 11 came after the Justice Department released more than 3 million pages from the Epstein files. The latest release sparked criticism and resignations across the world.
Among the powerful figures from the United States identified in the latest documents was Hollywood mogul Casey Wasserman, chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Organizing Committee, who announced he was selling his eponymous talent agency. In a staff memo provided to USA TODAY, Wasserman wrote that he had “become a distraction.”
During his appearance on “This Week,” Massie told Raddatz that his fellow committee members didn’t get the answers they wanted from Bondi about the Epstein files during her testimony.
“No, but she did come off her script and engage with me about this production of documents where she admitted that 40 minutes after I pointed out to the DOJ that they had over-redacted some of the documents, they did unredacted documents,” Massie said. “So, it’s clear they’ve made mistakes in the document production.”
Massie said the files included a document that described billionaire businessman Les Wexner as a possible co-conspirator of Epstein. Bondi would not, however, provide the name of the person who redacted Wexner’s name.
“At least she acknowledges that tacitly,” Massie said. “And it’s clear that their work is not done here yet.”
Raddatz then asked about the fact that Bondi did not look at the Epstein survivors behind her during her testimony.
“I think that was kind of cold on her part,” Massie said. “I think she was afraid to.”
Massie said the survivors want to meet with the Justice Department.
“It’s not about Bill Clinton, and it’s not about Donald Trump. This Epstein Files Transparency Act was about getting these survivors justice,” Massie said. “We’ve got some degree of transparency, but it’s called the Department of Justice, not the department of transparency.”
