Video shows Bondi and Crockett clashing over Epstein files release

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, was among several lawmakers who grilled Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Crockett, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said she believes President Donald Trump's past ties with Epstein, and the frequent appearance of his name in the Epstein files, could explain why the Justice Department has not gone after other potential co-conspirators.

"Now, I'm not saying that the president is a pedophile, but there is a lot of evidence in these files that suggests that he's very close friends with a lot of men who are pedophiles," Crockett said.

In response to Crockett’s accusations, Bondi held up photos of several convicted inmates who the Attorney General said came from foreign countries and committed crimes including homicide, kidnapping and rape.

"Convicted, so what we talking about?" Crockett said. "Convict some of these perpetrators that raped these women that are sitting behind you that you refuse to even acknowledge they are here."

Bondi named three inmates in total before accusing Crockett of deflecting from crimes in her home state.

"That's why they want to talk about Epstein and not what's happening in their own states," Bondi said.

See the video here

Bondi was grilled by other members of the committee

But Crockett was not the only member of the House Judiciary Committee who accused Bondi of perpetuating a cover-up.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland accused Bondi of weaponizing the Justice Department to go after their political enemies, something the Attorney General and Trump have previously accused the Biden administration of doing.

"You turned the people's Department of Justice into Trump's instrument of revenge,” Raskin said. “Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza. And you deliver every time."

Throughout the hearing, Bondi and Raskin continued to spar, with the attorney general hurling a personal insult at the lawmaker.

"You don't tell me ANYTHING, you washed-up loser lawyer," Bondi yelled at Raskin, a Harvard Law School graduate, adding, “You’re not even a lawyer.”

USA TODAY’s Bart Jansen and Aysha Bagchi contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.