A Republican member of the US Congress accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of hiding the identities of influential associates connected to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a tense hearing before a House of Representatives panel on Wednesday. Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky, a leading figure in the push for the disclosure of the files, criticized the Justice Department for failing to comply with the law. Massie specifically questioned the redaction of billionaire Leslie Wexner’s name in an FBI document listing potential collaborators in the sex trafficking probe involving Epstein.
In response, Bondi stated that Wexner’s name was present in other released documents and that the Justice Department promptly revealed his name in the document within 40 minutes of Massie’s observation. Massie retorted, “Forty minutes from catching you red-handed.” Throughout the hearing, Bondi engaged in several contentious exchanges with members of the House Judiciary Committee who expressed dissatisfaction with the department’s redaction and withholding of Epstein-related information.
Last month, the Justice Department disclosed what it described as the final installment of over 3 million pages of documents, attracting fresh scrutiny to affluent and influential figures who maintained connections with Epstein following his conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.