Pam Bondi asks for an apology to Epstein’s victims at House of Representatives hearing
Attorney General Pam Bondi did not apologize to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims when asked during a heated exchange at a House hearing.
Three women who say they are survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking allegations have slammed the attorney general for calling for the Justice Department’s release of the Epstein files, days after defending their actions in an explosive Congressional hearing.
On CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, February 14, Jess Michaels, Liz Stein and Teresa Helm reacted to Mr. Bondi’s combative appearance last week before the House Judiciary Committee, where several Democrats and Republicans harshly criticized the administration’s handling of the file and related investigations.
The main complaints were that documents were released without meeting Congressional deadlines, that the names and identities of some victims were made public, and that the names of potential co-conspirators and Epstein associates were redacted.
“She turned her back not only on us, but on survivors everywhere,” Helm claimed to CNN’s Jake Tapper. “And that’s not the message we should be sending at all.”
The Justice Department has not yet prosecuted any of the sex trafficker’s alleged co-conspirators and has come under fire for releasing about 60% of Epstein-related documents. Bondi told lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 11, that an investigation into possible co-conspirators was ongoing and denied accusations by lawmakers, including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, that the department was involved in a “cover-up.”
Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is the only person indicted so far and is currently serving a 20-year sentence. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department estimates that the deceased fund manager victimized more than 1,000 women and children.
Three women sat directly behind Bondi during the hearing, some of whom said they were victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking by Epstein. The attorney general was asked to recognize the group but declined. At another point, a group of nearly a dozen people all raised their hands when a lawmaker asked if they were waiting to hear from the Justice Department to discuss the charges against Epstein.
Stein told CNN’s Tapper that the administration is trying to discredit Epstein’s survivors and that authorities are finding it “incredibly difficult” to seek justice for Epstein’s alleged crimes.
“The fact that we were in that room with Pam Bondi last week and she couldn’t even turn around and look at us as human beings is just us seeing this bad behavior by the administration in clear and visible form over and over again,” Stein added.
Bondi ignored the women who accused Epstein of sexual abuse and denied encouraging crime victims to contact the FBI.
“I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” Bondi said during the hearing. “We deeply regret what the victims went through, especially what they went through because of that monster.”
In one particularly heated exchange, a Democratic lawmaker asked Bondi how many of Epstein’s accomplices he had indicted, and none. In response, the attorney general argued that the focus should instead be on rising stock markets and reducing crime, noting that under President Donald Trump, the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 50,000, the S&P 500 neared 7,000 and the Nasdaq was “breaking records.”
During an interview with CNN, Michaels responded to that response by referencing the complaint Maria Farmer filed with the FBI regarding child sexual abuse. Ms. Farmer also claimed that Mr. Epstein and Mr. Maxwell sexually assaulted her, and accused the government of negligence in not acting on her complaint.
“I think it comes down to the same commonality that’s been going on since 1996, when Maria filed her first report, which is that ultimately this is about money, and people are willing to protect pedophiles if the price is just,” Michaels argued.
Several celebrities named in the file have faced immediate public criticism for maintaining personal and business relationships with Mr. Epstein in the years since his 2008 conviction on two state prostitution charges. The scandal’s impact extended beyond the United States, affecting two European royal families and several European governments.
Two members of Congress who led the effort to force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files said they had discovered at least six more alleged accomplices whose names were redacted without explanation in the released documents. On February 9, the department began allowing lawmakers to review millions of records that remain classified.
“What I want to remind the public of is this is not about politics. This is about crime,” Stein said. “We are victims of the crime of sex trafficking. I don’t think anyone in this country would stand by if this was happening in our community.”
Contributor: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
