• Rep. Nancy Mace demanded Attorney General Pam Bondi testify before the House Oversight Committee over the DOJ tracking lawmakers’ Epstein file searches
• A Reuters photograph captured Bondi at Wednesday’s hearing with a document labeled “Jayapal Pramila Search History” listing specific Epstein files the congresswoman had reviewed
• House Speaker Mike Johnson called the tracking “inappropriate,” while DOJ defended the practice as necessary to protect victim information

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) escalated a growing bipartisan confrontation with the Department of Justice on Friday, demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi testify before the House Oversight Committee over revelations that DOJ tracked which Epstein files lawmakers searched while reviewing unredacted documents — and then brought that surveillance data to a congressional hearing.

The demand follows a Reuters photograph that captured Bondi at Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with a document labeled “Jayapal Pramila Search History,” listing specific Epstein files that Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) had reviewed at DOJ offices just two days earlier.

Mace Epstein Files Demand Targets Bondi Directly

Mace, one of the most vocal Republican voices on the Epstein files, did not mince words in a Friday morning interview explaining why she believes Bondi must face questions beyond the Judiciary Committee.

“In the Judiciary Committee, she had a folder open, and you saw an image of a search history of a member of Congress in the software in the database. Why is the DOJ — why is the attorney general carrying around a folder of the search histories of members of Congress who only simply want the truth? She should answer for that, and I think she should come before the Oversight Committee, because I have a lot of tough questions.”

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The issue cuts to a fundamental question about the separation of powers: whether the executive branch can monitor what the legislative branch investigates when exercising its constitutional oversight authority.

Jayapal confirmed the document Bondi carried matched her actual searches and described the attorney general’s binder as a “burn book.”

“It is totally inappropriate and against the separations of powers for the DOJ to surveil us as we search the Epstein files. Bondi showed up today with a burn book that held a printed search history of exactly what emails I searched.”

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Jayapal told NBC News, adding: “That is outrageous and I intend to pursue this and stop this spying on members.”

Epstein Files Search Tracking Draws Bipartisan Alarm

The surveillance controversy has produced an unusual alignment across party lines. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) initially expressed doubt about the reports but later condemned the practice.

“I think members should obviously have the right to peruse those at their own speed and with their own discretion, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for anybody to be tracking that.”

Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), offered a pointed assessment of DOJ’s motives.

“I think it’s kind of creepy that they were hoping to divine some line of attack based on our search histories.”

Massie told CNN, adding that the most “charitable” explanation was that DOJ wanted to improve service — but that interpretation collapsed when Bondi brought the data as apparent opposition research to a hearing where she had “flash cards with insults” for members.

Mace herself wrote on X that the DOJ was “tagging” all documents lawmakers searched and reviewed, claiming she confirmed the practice independently and that timestamps were associated with the tracking.

DOJ Defends Epstein Files Monitoring Practice

The Justice Department defended its actions, framing the monitoring as a security measure rather than surveillance.

“DOJ has extended Congress the opportunity to review unredacted documents in the Epstein files. As a part of that review, DOJ logs all searches made on its systems to protect against the release of victim information.”

A DOJ spokesperson told multiple outlets.

In a letter to lawmakers obtained by NBC News, the department stated it would “keep a log of the dates and times of all members’ reviews.” The viewing conditions themselves raised questions: lawmakers could only access documents on four DOJ computers in a secure room, could not bring electronic devices, and were monitored by DOJ personnel. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) told NPR the department created unique logins for each lawmaker and provided specific notepads for notes.

Jayapal raised a more pointed concern about the timing.

“Is this the whole reason they opened the files up to us two days early? So they could essentially surveil members to see what we were going to ask her about?”

She asked, noting that DOJ granted file access just days before Bondi’s scheduled testimony — giving the attorney general time to prepare targeted responses to anticipated questions.

Not all Republicans shared the concern. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) dismissed the backlash, telling Axios it was “pretty rich” for Democrats to complain about surveillance given special counsel Jack Smith’s seizure of Republican lawmakers’ phone records during the Jan. 6 investigation. Former Oversight Chairman James Comer said he was “very satisfied” with DOJ’s transparency.

Bondi’s Combative Epstein Hearing Sparked Broader Backlash

Wednesday’s five-hour Judiciary Committee hearing was already contentious before the surveillance controversy emerged. Epstein survivors attended in white, with several standing when asked by lawmakers to show they had been unable to meet with DOJ.

When Jayapal asked Bondi to turn and apologize to the survivors, Bondi refused.

“I’m not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics.”

Bondi responded, accusing Democrats of political grandstanding. She called Massie — the Republican who co-authored the transparency law — a “failed politician” with “Trump derangement syndrome,” a characterization notable given that Trump has endorsed Massie’s primary opponent.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) was the second Republican to press Bondi on the files, calling it “troubling” and “concerning” that survivor names were released while names of those accused of involvement with Epstein remained redacted.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking Judiciary Committee Democrat, demanded the DOJ inspector general open an inquiry.

“Not only has the Department of Justice illegally withheld documents from Congress and the American people. Not only has Attorney General Bondi failed to bring a single indictment against a single co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. But now Bondi and her team are spying on Members of Congress conducting oversight.”

House Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia (D-CA) went further, calling for Bondi’s resignation and announcing Democrats would conduct a “full investigation.” Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) told Axios her caucus was “exploring” legal action.

The confrontation comes as only a fraction of the estimated 6 million Epstein-related documents have been released, with roughly 3 million still withheld. Massie and Khanna, after just two hours of review, identified six names they said were improperly redacted — a discovery that already led to the resignation of DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem on Friday.

When the executive branch monitors which documents legislators search while conducting oversight of that same executive branch, does the system of checks and balances still function — and does the justification of “protecting victim information” hold up when the attorney general brings those search records as ammunition to a congressional hearing?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from Mediaite’s coverage of Mace’s demand, NBC News’ reporting on DOJ search tracking and the Bondi hearing, CNN’s investigation into the monitoring, CNBC’s reporting on Jayapal’s search history and DOJ’s defense, CBS News’ coverage, TIME’s analysis of DOJ surveillance and redaction controversies, NPR’s hearing coverage, Axios’ reporting on bipartisan reactions, and The Hill’s coverage of lawmakers’ response.

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