Photographs from a heated congressional oversight hearing reveal a note in Attorney General Pam Bondi's binder labelled with a US lawmaker's search activity within theDepartment of Justice's (DOJ) unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files.
The images, captured on Wednesday during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC, show Bondi holding a document titled 'Jayapal Pramila Search History' that appears to list specific files accessed by Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal during her review of unredacted material from the Epstein files.
Lawmakers described the disclosure as a clash over executive-legislative oversight, with some accusing the DOJ of 'surveillance' of congressional searches, a charge underscored by the timing of the images, taken just days after certain members were permitted controlled access to the files
The release and review of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been a source of sustained controversy across US politics. In February 2025, the US Department of Justice began steadily releasing portions of millions of pages of materials related to Epstein's criminal investigations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law aimed to make such records public while redacting victims' personal information.
Despite a statutory deadline, critics have argued the DOJ's rollout has been haphazard, with significant redactions and selective disclosures.
Congressional Democrats contend that powerful individuals whose connections to Epstein should be investigated have been shielded, while the identities of victims and survivors have at times been improperly exposed or only partially redacted.
WTF… The DOJ saved the search history of members of Congress while they were looking through the Epstein files. This is insane.Photo from Roberto Schmidt / Gettypic.twitter.com/OTrPPP61AX
Under asystem established by the DOJ, members ofCongresswilling to review the slightly less-redacted files were required to visit a DOJ annexe and search the database on one of a limited number of DOJ computers.
According to apress releasefrom Rep. Jamie Raskin, a senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, the system logs the searches for oversight and monitoring purposes.
The bone of contention at the hearing was the apparent inclusion in Bondi's binder of a printout showing Rep. Jayapal's search history in the DOJ's system.
Source: International Business Times UK
