Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear before the House Oversight Committee to answer questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files and its tracking of lawmakers’ search activity within the database.
Mace says the department owes Congress — and the public — clear answers.
Concern over tracking lawmakers’ searches
The controversy erupted earlier this week during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, when Bondi was photographed with a document that appeared to contain Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s search history in the unredacted Epstein files system.
Mace described the tracking and physical display of that information as troubling and inappropriate.
In a letter to Bondi and in public remarks, Mace said the attorney general needs to answer “a lot of tough questions,” including why the department was keeping records of lawmakers’ search histories and why that information was brought into a public hearing.
“At a minimum, we deserve to know why members’ activity in a sensitive database is being logged and compiled in this way,” Mace added, arguing that such tracking raises concerns about privacy, oversight, and potential intimidation.
Scrutiny of the Epstein files rollout
The dispute comes as Congress continues to examine the Justice Department’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a 2025 federal law requiring the release of unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal investigation and prosecution.
Bondi testified last week before the House Judiciary Committee about the department’s handling of the files. Members of both parties pressed her on the scope of the release, the redaction process, and whether any errors were made in the disclosure of documents.
While Bondi defended the department’s actions, she declined to apologize for what some lawmakers described as omissions or confusion surrounding the rollout.
Mace criticized that testimony as evasive and lacking transparency, arguing that Oversight — not just Judiciary — should examine the matter more thoroughly.
Mounting pressure on DOJ
Mace’s demand adds to growing pressure on the attorney general from lawmakers seeking greater accountability for how the Epstein files were released and how access to the database has been monitored.
Supporters of additional scrutiny say the issue goes beyond one member’s search history. They argue that if the department is logging and retaining detailed records of lawmakers’ activity, Congress needs to understand the purpose, safeguards, and limits of that practice.
The Justice Department has not publicly detailed its policies on tracking user activity within the Epstein files system.
For Mace, the issue is straightforward: transparency must apply not only to the files themselves, but also to how the department manages access to them.
Whether Bondi agrees to appear before the House Oversight Committee remains to be seen. But the fight over the Epstein files — and the federal government’s handling of them — is far from over.
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We all know most of our politicians always say let me be clear, what they are really saying is it’s more BS as usual