Pam Bondi Faces Backlash After Refusing to Acknowledge Epstein Survivors at Heated Hearing
A group of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein is speaking out after Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to turn around and acknowledge them during a combative House hearing this week.
Bondi faced intense questioning from Democratic lawmakers over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files. In her opening remarks, she said she was “deeply sorry for what any victim has been through,” but did not directly acknowledge nearly a dozen survivors seated behind her in the hearing room.
Survivors Left ‘Shaking With Anger’
Representative Pramila Jayapal asked the women to stand and raise their hands if they had been unable to meet with the Justice Department. She then challenged Bondi to turn around and apologize for what Democrats described as failures to fully redact victims’ names in publicly released documents.
Bondi declined, later dismissing Jayapal’s move as “theatrics.”
Danielle Bensky, who has publicly said she was abused by Epstein as a teenager, told reporters afterward that Bondi “didn’t even turn around and acknowledge our existence.”
“We knew this was going to be a hard day, but just not to acknowledge our baseline humanity — I felt pure rage,” Bensky said. “I could feel myself shaking with anger and frustration. I feel like we’ve been revictimised.”
Other survivors echoed the sentiment. Sharlene Rochard said she “felt humiliated” and began to cry during the moment. Anouska de Georgiou, a British survivor of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, said the exchange sent a troubling message to victims watching at home.
“When you can’t acknowledge survivors of sex crimes, how do you expect other victims to feel safe coming forward?” she said.
Political Firestorm Over Epstein Files
Bondi accused Democrats of using the Epstein files to distract from what she described as former President Donald Trump’s accomplishments. She also questioned whether Democrats had apologized for their role in past impeachment efforts.
The attorney general has faced mounting criticism since distributing binders of Epstein-related materials to conservative social media influencers at a White House event last year. Critics said the documents contained no significant new revelations, prompting renewed demands — including from some conservatives — for full transparency.
Democrats have continued pressing the Justice Department to investigate alleged co-conspirators named in the files. Bondi told lawmakers that “any accusation of criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated.”
Hearing Descends Into Verbal Brawl
The hearing grew increasingly confrontational. Representative Jamie Raskin accused Bondi of refusing to answer direct questions, while Bondi fired back with sharp personal criticisms. She also lashed out at Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican who has pushed for broader disclosure of Epstein-related records.
By the end of the session, the proceedings had devolved into a partisan shouting match, underscoring the deep political divide surrounding the Epstein files — and leaving survivors feeling, once again, unheard.
The image of survivors standing silently with their hands raised has since spread widely online, intensifying public scrutiny over how the Justice Department is handling one of the most sensitive cases in recent memory.
