Attorney General Pam Bondi faced sharp bipartisan scrutiny Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that spotlighted growing concerns over President Donald Trump’s expanding control over the Justice Department, the targeting of political opponents, and mounting pressure for transparency in federal investigations tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
The hearing — Bondi’s first appearance before the committee since July — came on the heels of a politically charged summer for the Justice Department. The agency has made headlines for its deployment of federal agents to Democrat-led cities, its pursuit of investigations involving Trump’s political rivals, and the controversial indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
In opening remarks, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley framed the session around what Republicans characterize as the “weaponization” of federal law enforcement — not by Trump, but under the previous Biden administration. Grassley accused the FBI and DOJ of partisan overreach, referencing selective disclosures and the actions of FBI Director Kash Patel, who recently acknowledged that Special Counsel Jack Smith had sought phone toll records of several Republican senators related to the January 6 Capitol attack.
“These are indefensible acts,” Grassley said. “This was a political fishing expedition to get Trump at all costs.”
Democratic senators, meanwhile, challenged Bondi on the Justice Department’s refusal to unseal more documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender with ties to high-profile figures across politics, business, and royalty. Lawmakers urged the DOJ to release full details of investigations, including whether political considerations influenced the slow rollout of materials.
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) pressed Bondi directly: “Will the Department commit to transparency in the Epstein matter, or are we going to continue to see selective silence that protects certain people?”
Bondi, who maintained a composed tone throughout the hearing, defended her department’s integrity, insisting that ongoing cases require careful handling. “We are committed to lawful transparency — not political theater,” she said.
Repeatedly, Bondi deflected questions regarding Trump’s influence over ongoing investigations, including the Comey prosecution and probes into state-level election officials who opposed the former president’s claims of fraud in 2020. When pressed on whether her office had coordinated investigations at Trump’s request, Bondi replied: “The Justice Department operates independently. We follow the law, not political directives.”
But Democrats remained unconvinced, pointing to a surge in investigations targeting Trump critics while cases involving his allies appeared stalled or dismissed.
With the 2026 midterm elections looming and Trump firmly reasserting his power over the federal executive branch, the hearing underscored the intensifying partisan divide over the role of the Justice Department.
While Bondi emerged from the hearing without any formal rebuke, both parties made clear that the Department’s conduct — from Epstein secrecy to political prosecutions — will remain under congressional microscope in the months ahead.
As Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) concluded, “This isn’t just about legal standards. This is about whether the American people can trust that justice is blind — or whether it’s wearing a red hat.”
