Rep. Jasmine Crockett was just one of many lawmakers to criticize Attorney General Bondy over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Pam Bondi clash over Epstein and Trump
Representative Jasmine Crockett criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi, claiming the Justice Department is covering up Epstein-related crimes.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) was one of several lawmakers to slam Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, February 11th.
Crockett, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said he believes Epstein’s past relationship with President Donald Trump and his name’s frequent appearance in the Epstein files may explain why the Justice Department has not pursued other potential co-conspirators.
“I’m not saying the president is a pedophile, but there’s a lot of evidence in these files that suggests the president is very close friends with a number of male pedophiles,” Crockett said.
In response to Crockett’s accusations, Bondi held up photos of several convicted inmates from other countries who had committed crimes such as murder, kidnapping and rape.
“He was found guilty, but what are we talking about?” Crockett said. “Convict some of the perpetrators who raped the women who sit behind you and won’t even acknowledge you’re here.”
Bondi named a total of three inmates before accusing Crockett of fleeing crimes in his home state.
“That’s why they want to talk about Epstein and not what’s going on in their state,” Bondi said.
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Bondi was censured by other members of the committee
But Crockett was not the only member of the House Judiciary Committee to accuse Bondi of continuing a cover-up.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland accused Mr. Bondi of weaponizing the Justice Department to go after political opponents, something the attorney general and Mr. Trump had previously accused the Biden administration of doing.
“You have turned the people’s Department of Justice into President Trump’s vehicle for revenge,” Raskin said. “Trump orders prosecutions like pizza. And you do it every time.”
Throughout the hearing, Mr. Bondi and Mr. Raskin continued to spar, with the attorney general hurling personal insults at the lawmaker.
“Don’t say anything, you lost lawyer,” Bondi yelled at Raskin, a Harvard Law School graduate, adding, “You’re not even a lawyer.”
USA TODAY’s Bart Jansen and Aysha Bagchi contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.
