Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) unleashed a fiery attack on Attorney General Pam Bondi during a contentious House oversight hearing Wednesday, accusing her of failing to lead the Justice Department responsibly and refusing to provide transparency on major national controversies.
Crockett opened her remarks by saying she would not ask Bondi any direct questions because, in her view, the attorney general had made clear she had no intention of answering lawmakers in good faith. Instead, Crockett posed blunt “right or wrong” questions to fellow Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), asking whether crimes like raping children, killing innocent citizens, or a president enriching themselves in office were wrong. Balint agreed, and Crockett sarcastically suggested she was more likely to get a straight answer from a colleague than from Bondi.
Turning her attention to Epstein survivors who were present in the hearing room, Crockett praised them as “survivors,” not victims, and told them they displayed more courage than anyone leading the DOJ. She said the hearing had become an international embarrassment, blaming what she described as dysfunction and “failed leadership” inside the department.
Crockett also claimed Democrats on the committee had been repeatedly attacked and lied about during the proceedings, arguing that the public came to hear answers about corruption, not political theatrics.
She then cited Bondi’s written testimony, where the attorney general reportedly listed two main priorities upon taking office: ending the “weaponization” of justice and returning the department to its core mission. Crockett accused Bondi of doing the opposite, claiming the DOJ was now focusing more on arresting journalists than prosecuting sex offenders.
In one of her most explosive allegations, Crockett accused the administration of targeting public figures such as Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, and said courts and grand juries have repeatedly rejected DOJ efforts to pursue high-profile political cases. She referenced failed attempts involving Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, as well as dismissed cases tied to New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Crockett also accused the DOJ of conducting raids on journalists’ homes and threatening prosecutions against student protesters, arguing the administration was actively undermining free speech. She claimed the president had even boasted about restricting freedom of speech, and she framed Bondi’s DOJ as a tool of political retaliation.
The Texas Democrat then shifted to the Epstein files, alleging the administration was involved in a cover-up. Crockett cited what she called “facts,” including claims that Donald Trump is referenced tens of thousands of times across Epstein-related documents. She also pointed to records she said describe Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell bringing young girls into Trump’s orbit, including alleged encounters at Mar-a-Lago.
Crockett stopped short of directly accusing Trump of criminal conduct, but argued the material raises disturbing questions and shows the president’s close ties to individuals accused of exploiting minors. She accused Bondi and the DOJ of protecting powerful people while refusing full transparency.
In closing, Crockett said Bondi would be remembered as one of the worst attorneys general in American history, accusing her of prioritizing loyalty to Trump over loyalty to the Constitution.
After Crockett yielded the floor, a Republican lawmaker attempted to defend Bondi, accusing Crockett of avoiding real questioning and bringing up unrelated claims involving Democratic leadership and Epstein-linked donations. Bondi herself dismissed Crockett’s remarks as political noise, setting the stage for more partisan clashes as the hearing continued.
