From PBS NewsHour.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, made an opening statement Wednesday in an oversight hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Under Bondi’s direction, the Department of Justice has “returned to its core missions, upholding the rule of law, going after the bad guys, and keeping Americans safe,” Jordan said.
The hearing offers an opportunity for lawmakers to question Bondi on a number of controversial issues involving the Justice Department, including around the Trump administration’s failure to meet a Congress-mandated deadline to release all of its Epstein files; the legal justification for the administration’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific; as well as prosecutions of perceived Trump political rivals like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Bondi is seeking to revive both cases, which were already thrown out by a U.S. district judge.
The Department of Justice has released millions of pages of Epstein-related documents, photographs and messages. But it missed its deadline by more than a month, and the releases have been mired by missed redactions and accusations of key omissions. Millions of pages related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender remain inaccessible, though the White House defends its review as thorough and complete. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has demanded more transparency, accusing the government of failing to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in November, and survivors released a Super Bowl ad telling Bondi “it’s time for the truth.”
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