Republican lawmakers are escalating scrutiny of Attorney General Pam Bondi following a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing this week, with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) now calling on Bondi to testify before the House Oversight Committee over concerns about how sensitive materials are being handled inside the Department of Justice.
Mace led the charge Friday morning, arguing that questions raised during Wednesday’s hearing warrant further examination by lawmakers.
During that hearing, a photographer captured an image of Bondi holding a folder that appeared to display search records connected to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) within the Justice Department’s Epstein files database. Members of Congress were granted access to portions of those files two days earlier amid ongoing public pressure for transparency surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
“In the Judiciary Committee, she had a folder open, and you saw an image of a search history of a member of Congress in the software in the database,” Mace said in an interview circulating Friday. “Why is the DOJ — why is the attorney general carrying around a folder of the search histories of members of Congress who only simply want the truth? She should answer for that, and I think she should come before the Oversight Committee, because I have a lot of tough questions.”
Mace framed the issue as one of accountability and equal treatment under the law, signaling that Republicans intend to continue pressing the Justice Department over how it is managing and tracking access to the highly sensitive Epstein materials.
The Judiciary hearing itself was marked by sharp exchanges between Bondi and several Democratic lawmakers, who accused the department of withholding information and mishandling aspects of the long-running Epstein investigation. Republicans, meanwhile, have emphasized the need to fully expose any failures connected to the case and to ensure that political considerations do not interfere with the release of relevant records.
At one point during the hearing, Jayapal urged Bondi to apologize directly to victims of Epstein who were seated in the room. Bondi declined, accusing the congresswoman of engaging in “theatrics” rather than focusing on substantive oversight.
The exchange underscored the broader partisan divide surrounding the Epstein files, which have fueled public distrust across the political spectrum.
It remains unclear whether the House Oversight Committee will formally request Bondi’s testimony. However, Mace’s public demand signals that Republican lawmakers are not finished pressing the attorney general for answers as the Epstein controversy continues to reverberate through Congress.
