type: timeline_event
Attorney General Pam Bondi's February 11, 2026, testimony before the House Judiciary Committee devolved into what observers called "some of the tensest and most combative testimony seen to date from a Trump Cabinet official," marked by personal attacks against lawmakers and refusal to answer substantive questions. Bondi called Rep. Jamie Raskin—the top Democrat and former constitutional law professor—a "washed-up loser lawyer" and called Republican Rep. Thomas Massie a "failed politician" with "Trump derangement syndrome" after Massie confronted her over DOJ's over-redaction of the Epstein files and withholding of crucial documents.
Bondi came to the hearing facing multiple crises: the catastrophic January 30 release of Epstein files that exposed 43+ survivor names, the newly reported failed grand jury indictments of six Democratic lawmakers, and the killing of Renee Good by ICE officers. When Rep. Pramila Jayapal asked Epstein survivors in the audience to stand and requested Bondi apologize for DOJ's failure to redact survivors' sensitive information, Bondi paused then deflected to attacking her predecessor Merrick Garland rather than apologizing. Photos of Bondi's black binder showed the words "Jayapal Pramila Search History" with a list of documents matching Epstein files numbering, suggesting DOJ had monitored Jayapal's searches of the DOJ database—raising surveillance concerns.
Bondi acknowledged for the first time the existence of a secret list of domestic terrorist organizations and refused to answer 15 substantive questions according to House Democrats, including why 500 DOJ attorneys failed to redact dozens of survivors' names and sensitive photographs, why she refused to investigate Prince Andrew despite disturbing photos in the Epstein files, and whether she has knowledge if President Trump was at parties with underage girls. Rep. Jamie Raskin told Bondi: "You turned the people's Department of Justice into Trump's instrument of revenge," adding "Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza, and you deliver every time."
The five-hour hearing produced rare bipartisan agreement only on threats against lawmakers, with Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell highlighting threatening messages against his family and pressing Bondi on why perpetrators had not faced charges. Bondi's "hostile performance" was described by some Republicans privately as likely to "help the Democrats during the fall midterm elections." The hearing exemplified the complete breakdown of DOJ's traditional relationship with Congress, with the Attorney General treating congressional oversight with open contempt and personal vitriol rather than institutional respect.