3 days ago
18
Attorney General Pam Bondi is taking heated questions from lawmakers successful a combative legislature proceeding implicit the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein that person exposed delicate backstage accusation astir victims contempt redaction efforts.
The proceeding passed the two-hour people earlier taking a recess, and Bondi has spent the bulk of it trying to crook the leafage from persistent disapproval of the Justice Department by aggressively pivoting.
The lawyer wide launched into a wide-ranging, passionate defence of President Donald Trump, mocked her Democratic questioners and refused to straight respond to their accusations that she is perpetuating a cover-up and ignoring victims, respective of whom are sitting down her successful the proceeding room.
Bondi besides defended the department’s handling of the files related to Epstein, adjacent arsenic its governmental saga continues to canine her term. It’s the archetypal clip the lawyer wide appears earlier Congress since a likewise tumultuous proceeding successful October.
Here's the latest:
A fiery speech implicit Trump medication officials referenced successful the Epstein files
Among the feistiest and astir bitter exchanges came with Rep. Becca Balint, a Vermont Democrat who tried to inquire Bondi whether the Justice Department had questioned antithetic Trump medication officials astir their ties to Epstein.
Bondi declined to reply directly, alternatively saying that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had already answered questions connected the issue.
As Balint tried to property further, Bondi responded, “Shame connected you.” That touched disconnected a furious effect from a frustrated Balint, who said: “This is pathetic. I americium not asking instrumentality questions. The American radical merit to know. These are elder Trump officials.”
The concern became adjacent much tense erstwhile Bondi referenced “antisemitic culture” and a solution that she said Balint voted against.
The question was chopped disconnected by a shouting Balint, who said: “You privation to spell there? Are you serious? Talking astir antisemitism to a pistillate who mislaid her gramps successful the Holocaust!”
Trump says helium insisted to Netanyahu that US negotiations with Iran continue
President Donald Trump said helium insisted to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their White House gathering Wednesday that negotiations with Iran proceed arsenic the United States pushes for a atomic woody with Tehran.
“It was a precise bully meeting, the tremendous narration betwixt our 2 Countries continues.” Trump said successful a societal media post. “There was thing definitive reached different than I insisted that negotiations with Iran proceed to spot whether oregon not a Deal tin beryllium consummated.”
Bondi says she doesn’t cognize wherefore Ghislaine Maxwell received situation transfer
The lawyer wide distanced herself from a determination past twelvemonth to transportation Ghislaine Maxwell, the erstwhile woman and confidant of Jeffrey Epstein, to a national situation campy successful Texas.
That transportation past twelvemonth by the Bureau of Prisons, which sits nether the Department of Justice, has been wide criticized. Bondi said she agreed that Maxwell should not person immoderate comforts portion she serves retired a 20-year situation condemnation for enactment trafficking minors.
“I was not progressive successful that astatine all,” she told lawmakers.
Sens. Slotkin and Kelly praise expansive assemblage for refusing to indict them
The 2 Democratic senators were among six lawmakers investigated by the Justice Department aft appearing successful a video urging U.S. subject members to defy “illegal orders.”
On Tuesday, a expansive assemblage declined to indict them implicit the video.
“If things had gone a antithetic way, we’d beryllium preparing for arrest,” Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin told reporters Wednesday. “A radical of anonymous Americans upheld the regularisation of law.”
Slotkin said the lawmakers sent a missive Wednesday asking the Justice Department to corroborate the probe is closed. She and Kelly said they were ne'er told what complaint oregon charges prosecutors sought.
“This is not a bully quality story,” said Kelly. “This is simply a communicative astir however Donald Trump and his cronies are trying to interruption our strategy successful bid to soundlessness anyone who lawfully speaks retired against them.”
Democrat questions Bondi for hiring of Jan. 6th defendant
Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi connected wherefore she had hired Jared Wise, who was charged successful transportation to the Jan. 6th 2021 riot astatine the U.S. Capitol and was captured connected a police-worn assemblage camera urging radical to “kill” officers.
Bondi acknowledged that Wise was moving astatine the Justice Department, noting that helium had been pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Neguse responded, “This is who you choose, arsenic the main instrumentality enforcement serviceman of the United States of America, to prosecute astatine the Department of Justice,” and added, “and yet you expect hard-working constabulary officers crossed the state to judge that you instrumentality instrumentality enforcement seriously?”
Pentagon-FAA quality implicit lasers to thwart cartel drones led to airspace closure, AP sources say
The abrupt and astonishing airspace closure implicit El Paso, Texas, stemmed from the Pentagon’s plans to trial a laser for usage successful shooting down drones utilized by Mexican cause cartels, according to 3 radical acquainted with the concern who were granted anonymity to stock delicate details.
That caused friction with the Federal Aviation Administration, which wanted to guarantee commercialized aerial information and the 2 agencies sought to coordinate, according to 2 of the people.
Despite a gathering scheduled aboriginal this period to sermon the issue, the Pentagon wanted to spell up and trial it, prompting the FAA to shutter the airspace. It was not wide whether the laser was yet deployed.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier that a effect to an incursion by Mexican cartel drones had led to the airspace closure and that the menace had been neutralized. Drone incursions are not uncommon on the confederate border.
▶ Read more
Bondi sidesteps questions astir a Trump database of ‘domestic terrorists’
Bondi sidestepped questions from Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon astir whether the medication is maintaining a concealed “enemies list.”
“I’m not going to perpetrate to thing to you due to the fact that you won’t fto maine reply questions,” Bondi told Scanlon successful a heated exchanged.
Scanlon was pressing Bondi implicit whether the Justice Department has fixed Trump and apical White House adjutant Stephen Miller a database of targeted groups and individuals the president’s September 2025 bid for his medication to ace down connected backers of what it described arsenic “left-wing terrorism.”
Bondi tried to displacement the question to the antifa question earlier Scanlon repeated that she wanted a “yes oregon no” answer.
“We volition comply with the instrumentality successful each matters,” Bondi said.
Scanlon compared Trump’s bid to McCarthyism during the aboriginal years of the Cold War and the “enemies list” compiled by Richard Nixon’s White House.
Republican Massie gets into fiery speech with Bondi
Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing immoderate of the toughest questioning from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky lawmaker who broke with his enactment to beforehand the authorities that forced the released of the lawsuit files connected Jeffrey Epstein.
Massie took Bondi to task for the merchandise of victims’ idiosyncratic information, telling her, “Literally the worse happening you could bash to survivors, you did.”
He besides questioned her wherefore much men seemingly connected to Epstein’s maltreatment are not nether investigation.
Bondi responded successful the mode she has to astir Democrats who brought up the Epstein files, by shooting backmost that helium was lone focused connected the files due to the fact that President Donald Trump is mentioned successful them.
She accused Massie of having “Trump-derangement syndrome” and called him a “hypocrite.”
Several Epstein victims diminution to explicit assurance successful Bondi
Democratic Rep. Lou Correa asked a fistful of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s maltreatment who are attending Attorney General Pam Bondi’s proceeding to basal and rise their manus if they felt that the Department of Justice would enactment them.
None raised their hand.
Correa underscored the value of instrumentality enforcement supporting victims and making definite they are heard arsenic they question justice.
Bondi responded to Correa’s constituent by saying she wanted victims to travel forward.
“We privation to enactment with them,” she said.
Bondi responds to Democrat’s video of Trump and Epstein with ridicule
She was responding to an aged video of Trump and Epstein astatine a enactment unneurotic by saying it was “ridiculous” for Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu to inquire her whether she would analyse Trump’s connections to Epstein.
“They are trying to deflect from each the large things Donald Trump has done,” Bondi exclaimed.
Former Senate GOP person McConnell discharged from infirmary aft weeklong stay
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has been discharged from the infirmary aft checking himself successful a week agone with flu-like symptoms.
A spokesperson for the erstwhile Senate Republican person said McConnell is “feeling better” and volition enactment from location the remainder of the week arsenic the Senate is successful session.
McConnell’s bureau did not springiness immoderate further details connected the reasons for his infirmary stay.
Bondi insists the Justice Department takes earnestly threats against members of Congress
Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, complained to Bondi that the Trump administration’s Justice Department had declined to bring transgression charges implicit decease threats against him and his household and different Democrats.
Bondi said she could reassure Swalwell that specified threats are being taken earnestly and are the taxable of progressive investigations.
She told members of the committee that nary of them should ever consciousness threatened and said anyone who felt that mode should consciousness empowered to travel to her office.
Republican highlights Democrats’ past comments connected amerciable migration during Bondi hearing
Republican Rep. Scott Fitzgerald handed Attorney General Pam Bondi an alley-oop of a questioning league by playing a video of past comments from apical Democrats stating their absorption to amerciable immigration.
Bondi utilized the accidental to praise President Trump’s handling of amerciable immigration.
“President Trump closed our borders connected time one,” she said, arguing that it protected Americans from convulsive transgression and amerciable drugs.
Bondi declines to remark astir probe into erstwhile CIA director
Asked by Rep. Jim Jordan, the president of the House Judiciary Committee, if erstwhile CIA Director John Brennan was going to beryllium indicted successful transportation with the years-old Trump-Russia investigation, Bondi declined to corroborate oregon contradict that helium was nether investigation.
But, she added: “No 1 is supra the law.”
Brennan’s lawyers disclosed successful a missive made nationalist successful December that they’ve been informed Brennan is simply a people of an probe successful Florida. He has denied immoderate wrongdoing.
Bondi goes connected a wide-ranging, shouting defence of Trump
Bondi astatine 1 constituent went connected a wide-ranging, animated, minutes-long defence of Trump successful which she portrayed herself arsenic the president’s main protector and strayed acold beyond her existent occupation arsenic the nation’s main instrumentality enforcement officer.
“You beryllium present and you onslaught the president, and I americium not going to person it and I americium not going to enactment up with it,” Bondi shouted during an extended code that adjacent praised the president for a precocious surging Dow Jones Industrial Average.
She painted the president arsenic a unfortunate of baseless impeachments and investigations, incorrectly stating astatine 1 constituent that erstwhile peculiar counsel Robert Mueller had not recovered overseas interference successful the 2016 statesmanlike election.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives astatine the White House
Around 11 a.m. ET, a conveyance with Israeli flags drove on West Executive Avenue, which separates the White House from the neighboring Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Netanyahu is staying astatine Blair House, located crossed the thoroughfare from the White House wherever overseas leaders often stay.
Democrats property Bondi to analyse much radical connected to Epstein
Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren utilized her clip to item respective emails released successful the lawsuit files connected Jeffrey Epstein that look to notation to others being progressive successful the maltreatment of underage girls and asked Attorney General Pam Bondi whether she would unfastened investigations.
“We volition look and analyse immoderate case, involving immoderate victim,” Bondi responded, adding, “We volition look into anything.”
But Bondi rapidly raised her code and measurement arsenic she accused Lofgren of filibustering her allotted clip for questioning.
Democratic lawmakers and the nationalist are demanding follow-up investigations into a fig of individuals who were connected to Epstein, but the FBI past twelvemonth released a memo saying nary 1 other would beryllium charged. Also, an Associated Press reappraisal of interior Justice Department records shows investigators recovered scant grounds the well-connected financier led a enactment trafficking ringing serving almighty men.
‘I’m not going to get successful the gutter with this woman,’ Bondi says
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington authorities Democrat, excoriated Bondi implicit a haphazard redaction that withheld the names of “powerful predators” but exposed backstage and intimate details astir victims and besides included nude photographs.
“Your section has shown a signifier of redacting the names of almighty predators,” speechmaking from an email involving a withheld sanction and referencing a “torture video.”
She asked victims of Epstein’s maltreatment to rise their manus if they had been incapable to conscionable with the Justice Department.
“For the record,” Jayapal said, “every azygous subsister has raised their hand.”
Jayapal asked Bondi if she would apologize to the victims, prompting a fiery back-and-forth with raised voices successful which the lawyer wide demanded to cognize wherefore the congresswoman had not asked her predecessor, Merrick Garland, the aforesaid question.
“I’m not going to get successful the gutter with this woman,” Bondi said.
Pam Bondi addresses victims of Jeffrey Epstein
The lawyer wide addressed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s maltreatment during the House Judiciary Committee, saying she was “deeply sorry” for what they had suffered.
Bondi has been severely criticized by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, including respective who were successful attendance astatine the committee proceeding Wednesday, for failing to redact idiosyncratic information, including nude photos, of victims successful the merchandise of implicit 3.5 cardinal lawsuit files connected Epstein.
Bondi did not explicitly apologize for that failure, but said the Justice Department has taken down files erstwhile they were made alert that they included victims’ accusation and that unit had tried to bash “our precise champion successful the clip framework allotted by the legislation” mandating the merchandise of the files.
“Any accusations of transgression wrongdoing volition beryllium taken earnestly and investigated,” the lawyer wide added.
Gabbard ends quality betterment task force
After a small little than a year, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is ending the enactment of a task unit she created to look astatine large changes to America’s quality community.
The sheet known arsenic the Director’s Initiative Group was formed successful April and charged with rooting retired what Gabbard called the politicization of quality gathering. The radical besides studied ways to trim spending connected quality and whether reports connected high-profile topics similar COVID-19 should beryllium declassified.
In announcing the extremity of the group’s enactment successful a connection Wednesday, Gabbard said it was ever intended to beryllium a impermanent effort arsenic she began her enactment coordinating the nation’s 18 quality agencies.
Bondi is moving a ‘vendetta factory’ retired of the Justice Department, Rep. Jamie Raskin says
The apical Democrat connected the House Judiciary Committee lambasted Attorney General Pam Bondi for her enactment of the Justice Department.
“Grand juries of American citizens person repeatedly rejected your vendettas and baseless indictments brought by the hacks near astatine DOJ,” Raskin said.
He besides criticized her for pursuing the president’s retribution campaign, replacing experienced prosecutors with what helium said were weaponized “stooges” consenting to bash Trump’s bidding alternatively of existent justice.
“Trump orders up prosecutions similar pizza and you present each time,” helium said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s proceeding is underway
She opened the proceeding earlier the House Judiciary Committee successful a packed country astatine the Capitol with a defence of however she’s “keeping America safe.”
“Crime is declining, this did not hap by accident,” she said, pointing to declining rates of convulsive crimes.
Bondi is facing questioning from Congress arsenic the Justice Department faces scrutiny, mostly from Democrats, connected aggregate fronts: however it is handling the investigations of 2 fatal shootings successful Minneapolis by national officers; however it has handled the mandated merchandise of lawsuit files connected the convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein; and the department’s probe of lawmakers who produced a video urging U.S. subject members not to travel “illegal orders.”
The committee chair, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, praised however Bondi has implemented President Trump’s crackdown connected amerciable immigration. Meanwhile, the apical Democrat connected the Judiciary committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, opened his information of the proceeding by introducing respective survivors of Epstein’s maltreatment who are successful the committee room.
Mexico and US information officials slated to conscionable successful Washington, says Mexican president
Mexican defence and navy secretaries volition conscionable with Northern Command officials successful Washington connected Wednesday successful a gathering attended by respective different countries, said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum successful her greeting quality conference. Sheinbaum said the Mexican officials would “listen” successful the meeting.
“They are not taking immoderate presumption different than the 1 we already know, which is the defence of sovereignty,” she said. “We volition pass you successful owed course.”
She noted that Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch, who has spearheaded her government’s strategy to combat cartels, volition besides conscionable with American information officials Thursday.
The meetings are portion of ongoing information talks betwixt the 2 governments.
Vance sidesteps questions astir commerce caput and Epstein
The vice president cited his overseas question for not being alert of calls for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resign aft acknowledging meetings with Jeffrey Epstein.
“I’ve been beauteous occupied the past mates of days,” Vance told reporters Wednesday successful Azerbaijan.
Lutnick told lawmakers Tuesday that he’d met with Epstein doubly aft the precocious financier’s 2008 condemnation for soliciting prostitution from a child. Lutnick antecedently said he’d chopped ties with Epstein aft 2005.
Vance utilized the question to onslaught Democrats.
“Certainly, you had a batch of precise affluent and almighty radical who are progressive successful immoderate precise disgusting behavior,” Vance said, throwing retired erstwhile President Bill Clinton’s sanction astatine 1 point. “But I bash find it’s absorbing that the legislature Democrats are truthful focused connected attacking” Trump with “completely unsubstantiated attacks” astir his Epstein association.
Trump deserves recognition for the redacted Epstein lawsuit files being publically available, Vance said.
Vance says Trump owes nary apology for racist Obama video
Vance seemed to downplay the now-deleted video portion besides distancing himself from the contention and making wide that Trump owes nary further mentation oregon apology.
“It was 1 of those things where, either due to the fact that the clip portion changed oregon due to the fact that we were truthful busy, the contention had started and past died retired by the clip I adjacent paid attraction to it,” Vance told reporters successful Azerbaijan.
He was traveling past week, too, erstwhile Trump posted the video that included erstwhile President Barack Obama and archetypal woman Michelle Obama depicted arsenic jungle primates.
Vance said the U.S. should absorption connected “real” problems.
Pressed aggregate times connected whether Trump should apologize for a video that adjacent galore Republicans criticized arsenic racist, the vice president said no.
“I deliberation radical station things connected societal media, and if you station thing you don’t similar it, you tin conscionable instrumentality it down,” helium said.
Vice President JD Vance says Olympic athletes should not ‘pop disconnected astir politics’
But helium besides said it “happens each Olympics.”
Vance stopped abbreviated of echoing President Trump’s appraisal that medication critics connected the U.S. squad are hard to cheer for.
“My proposal to them would beryllium to effort to bring the state together. And erstwhile you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans,” Vance said Wednesday successful Azerbaijan. “You’re determination to play a sport, and you’re determination to correspond your state and hopefully triumph a medal.”
U.S. skier Hunter Hess drew Trump’s ire erstwhile helium said being an Olympian “doesn’t mean I correspond everything that’s going connected successful the U.S.” Trump called Hess “a existent loser.”
Vance argued that “when Olympic athletes participate the governmental arena, they should expect immoderate pushback.”
The vice president attended Milan’s opening ceremonies and has continued traveling successful Europe and Asia.
Trump medication authoritative says El Paso airspace closure was tied to Mexican cartel drones
The Federal Aviation Administration reopened the airspace astir El Paso International Airport successful Texas connected Wednesday morning, conscionable hours aft it announced a 10-day closure that would person grounded each flights to and from the airport.
The FAA said successful a societal media station that it has lifted the impermanent closure of the airspace implicit El Paso, saying determination was nary menace to commercialized aviation and that each flights volition resume.
A Trump medication authoritative told The Associated Press that the airspace implicit El Paso was closed aft Mexican cartel drones breached the airspace, but that the Defense Department took enactment to disable the drones.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department person determined determination is nary menace to commercialized travel, said the official, speaking connected information of anonymity to sermon a nationalist information issue.
The authoritative did not accidental however galore drones were progressive oregon what specifically was done to disable them.
▶ Read more
— Darlene Superville
NATO launches Arctic Sentry subject effort arsenic it seeks to determination connected from Greenland dispute
NATO connected Wednesday launched a caller subject effort dubbed Arctic Sentry aimed astatine improving information successful the High North, a period aft President Trump ramped up tensions wrong the confederation implicit his threats to annex Greenland.
Initially, Arctic Sentry volition beryllium the NATO statement for nationalist subject exercises successful the region, specified arsenic Denmark’s Arctic Endurance — which angered Trump truthful overmuch that helium threatened to slap tariffs connected allies taking portion — and Norway’s Cold Response drills. Arctic Sentry doesn’t impact the imperishable oregon adjacent semipermanent deployment of troops to the portion nether a NATO banner.
NATO’s relation successful this bid of subject activities, which volition beryllium coordinated done its U.S. office successful Norfolk, Virginia, is aimed astatine countering Russian and Chinese power successful the High North, which includes Greenland.
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe — U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich — said that “Arctic Sentry underscores the alliance’s committedness to safeguard its members and support stableness successful 1 of the world’s astir strategically important and environmentally challenging areas.”
▶ Read more
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis rebuffs effort to indict six Democratic lawmakers
The North Carolina legislator said the justness strategy is “the golden modular of the world” and that “thankfully” a expansive assemblage successful Washington declined Tuesday to indict six Democratic lawmakers implicit a video urging U.S. subject members to defy “illegal orders.”
“A assemblage saw the attempted indictments for what they truly were,” Tillis wrote connected societal media. “Political lawfare is not normal, not acceptable, and needs to stop.”
The retiring legislator has grown progressively captious of the Trump medication since announcing helium won’t tally for reelection this year.
Jeffries praises expansive assemblage declining to indict Democratic lawmakers
House Democratic person Hakeem Jeffries says “justice prevailed” successful effect to a expansive assemblage successful Washington refusing to indict Democratic lawmakers successful transportation with a video successful which they urged U.S. subject members to defy amerciable orders.
Jeffries called the six lawmakers who participated successful the video patriotic Americans and said the expansive assemblage upheld and honored the Constitution.
“The effort to indict Members of Congress for exercising their constitutionally-protected First Amendment rights is different shameful illustration of the cancerous rot that engulfs the Trump administration,” Jeffries said successful a Wednesday greeting statement.
Jeffries besides said President Trump and “corrupt governmental hacks astatine the Department of Justice volition not soundlessness oregon intimidate us.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
English (US) ·