Rep. Thomas Massie sharply criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi's performance during a congressional hearing on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, describing her appearance as poorly handled and revealing ongoing issues with document production at the Department of Justice.
In an interview excerpt, Massie stated, "I don’t think she did very well. She came with of a book full of insults, one for each Congress person. She obviously had one for me." He contrasted her demeanor with that of former Attorney General Merrick Garland, noting, "I’ve been there when Merrick Garland is they’re. Obviously politically, I don’t agree with him, but he perform much better in terms of at least not looking bad."
Massie expressed frustration over the lack of satisfactory responses from Bondi regarding the Epstein Files Transparency Act, commonly referred to in the exchange as the "Epstein vows transparency act." He told ABC's Martha Raddatz, "Unfortunately we didn’t get the answers we wanted about. The Epstein vows transparency act from her."
When Raddatz pressed, "Did you get any of the answers you wanted," Massie replied, "No," but highlighted a notable moment during the hearing. He recounted how Bondi "did come off script and engage with me about this production of documents."
Massie pointed to a specific instance of DOJ mishandling, saying Bondi "admitted that forty minutes after I pointed out to the d o j that they had over redact some of the documents they did on redacted document." This admission, he argued, underscored errors in the process.
"So it’s clear that they’ve made mistakes in the document. Products should at least acknowledges that tacitly and it’s clear that their work has not done here yet," Massie concluded, signaling that transparency efforts on the Epstein files remain incomplete.
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between Congress and the DOJ over the release and redaction of Epstein-related documents, with Massie positioning himself as a key voice pushing for fuller disclosure.
