Pam Bondi shows up to hearing with Democrat’s Epstein search history in a ‘burn book,’ proves DOJ is spying on Congress

Attorney General Pam Bondi created major controversy on Capitol Hill after she showed up at a House Judiciary Committee hearing with a printout that tracked exactly what a Democratic member of Congress had searched for in private Jeffrey Epstein files. Photos from the hearing show Bondi holding a black binder with the words Jayapal Pramila Search History printed on the front.

According to CNBC, the printout listed document numbers that matched the Department of Justice’s database of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, quickly responded on X after learning about the tracking.

“It is totally inappropriate and against the separations of powers for the DOJ to surveil us as we search the Epstein files,” Jayapal wrote. She said Bondi came to the hearing with a “burn book that held a printed search history of exactly what emails I searched.” Jayapal stated she plans to “pursue this and stop this spying on members.”

The DOJ may have monitored lawmakers to prepare for their questions

Jayapal and other members of Congress had visited the DOJ days before the hearing to review Epstein documents not available to the public. This is normal preparation before major oversight hearings. The files have drawn attention for disturbing details about Epstein’s alleged crimes. However, Jayapal raised a serious concern about why the DOJ gave lawmakers early access to the files.

She questioned whether the entire reason for opening the files a few days early was so the department could “essentially surveil members to see what we were gonna ask her about.” This suggests the Justice Department may have wanted to prepare responses to tough questions rather than provide real transparency. Other lawmakers have also raised concerns about how the Justice Department handles Epstein documents.

Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said the tracking would be wrong. When asked if Bondi’s action was appropriate, Johnson first said he wouldn’t comment on something unsubstantiated. But he quickly added that if the tracking happened, “that would be inappropriate.” It is notable when leadership from Bondi’s own party calls the behavior unacceptable.

The printout issue came after an already heated exchange between Bondi and Jayapal during the same hearing. Jayapal asked Epstein abuse survivors in the room to stand if they had been unable to meet with the DOJ. Multiple women stood and raised their hands.

Jayapal then asked Bondi to apologize to victims because the DOJ failed to fully remove victims’ names when releasing the files to the public. Bondi refused, saying she wasn’t going to “get in the gutter for her theatrics.” The Justice Department has not explained whether Bondi actually had the printout, why she would have it, or if they track search histories of other members of Congress who view private files.