A trio of House Democrats on Friday demanded the Department of Justice “immediately cease” tracking lawmakers’ review of the unredacted files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Reps. Jamie Raskin, Pramila Jayapal and Robert Garcia sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the Justice Department to “develop a new protocol” that would allow members to “meaningfully” review the “fully unredacted documents.”
Representative Jayapal, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, has accused Bondi of “spying” on her search history when she visited the DOJ earlier this week to view unredacted files on Epstein.
At a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Bondi appeared to have printouts titled “Jayapal Pramila Search History,” which included a diagram of documents Jayapal searched within the DOJ’s files.
The letter sent by the representatives stated that the surveillance of searches, including Jayapal’s, is “just the latest effort by DOJ to interfere with Congress’s oversight of the Epstein cover-up.” The lawmakers also noted that even the Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has condemned the practice.
The lawmakers requested a meeting by Friday, Feb. 20, to discuss the surveillance and explore a new process for reviewing the Epstein files.
The Justice Department stated earlier this week that it “logs all searches made on its systems to protect against the release of victim information,” but did not offer an explanation for why Bondi had a printout of Jayapal’s search history.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the representatives demand of the Department of Justice?
Reps. Jamie Raskin, Pramila Jayapal and Robert Garcia demanded the Department of Justice “immediately cease” tracking lawmakers’ review of the unredacted files on Jeffrey Epstein.
What prompted this demand?
Representative Jayapal accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of “spying” on her search history while reviewing the Epstein files at the DOJ, and Bondi appeared to have printouts of Jayapal’s search history during a House Judiciary Committee hearing.
What is the Justice Department’s stated reason for logging searches?
The Justice Department stated that it logs all searches made on its systems “to protect against the release of victim information.”
As lawmakers continue to seek transparency in the Epstein case, what level of access to sensitive information is appropriate for Congressional oversight?
