--- title: Bondi Declines to Directly Apologize to Epstein Victims description: The Attorney General refused to turn and apologize for the DOJ's handling of Epstein's case when pressed to do so during House testimony. canonical: https://time.com/7377755/bondi-epstein-victims-files-house-hearing/ author: Connor Greene article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-11T18:50:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-11T20:56:43.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bondi Declines to Directly Apologize to Epstein Victims og:description: The Attorney General refused to apologize for the DOJ's handling of Epstein's case when pressed during House testimony. og:url: https://time.com/7377755/bondi-epstein-victims-files-house-hearing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b52a6528378a1e0/6998cf269fbc7cb82ad9afb6/GettyImages-2260543936.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Bondi House Judiciary 2/11/26 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bondi Declines to Directly Apologize to Epstein Victims twitter:description: The Attorney General refused to apologize for the DOJ's handling of Epstein's case when pressed during House testimony. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b52a6528378a1e0/6998cf269fbc7cb82ad9afb6/GettyImages-2260543936.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pam Bondi Declines to Directly Apologize to Epstein Victims During Capitol Hill Testimony > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=30e02caa-49b5-4bca-a80a-3e5b90a21825&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Pam Bondi declines to directly apologize to Epstein victims during Capitol Hill testimony [Watch (HLS stream): Pam Bondi declines to directly apologize to Epstein victims during Capitol Hill testimony](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dm9W9Nhn.m3u8) (2:59)  _Published 2026-02-11. Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, saying that she was "deeply sorry" for what they had suffered. She did not explicitly apologize for that failure._ by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Reporter Updated: Feb 11, 2026 8:56 PM UTCPublished: Feb 11, 2026 6:50 PM UTC Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, saying that she was "deeply sorry" for what they had suffered. She did not explicitly apologize for that failure. by [Connor Greene](https://time.com/author/connor-greene/) ## Connor Greene Reporter Updated: Feb 11, 2026 8:56 PM UTCPublished: Feb 11, 2026 6:50 PM UTC Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to turn and apologize directly to victims of Jeffrey Epstein for how the Department of Justice has [handled](https://time.com/7373333/epstein-files-redactions-massie-khanna-trump/) the late convicted sex offender’s case when pressed to do so during a contentious House hearing on Wednesday. While questioning Bondi at the House Judiciary Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington asked victims of Epstein who were present in the audience to “please raise your hand if you have still not been able to meet with this Department of Justice,” after which she noted for the record that “every single survivor has raised their hand.” Jayapal then turned back to Bondi and asked: “Will you turn to them now and apologize for what your Department of Justice has put them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein files and their information?” Bondi did not turn to address the victims, instead beginning to talk about her predecessor, Merrick Garland. After Jayapal again asked her to turn and apologize, the Attorney General refused, and said, “I’m not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics.” Bondi did acknowledge the victims in her opening remarks earlier in the hearing, during which she defended her actions in the Epstein case. “I’m a career prosecutor and despite what the ranking member said, I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” she said. “I am deeply sorry for what any victim, any victim, has been through, especially as a result of that monster.” **Read more:** [_Trump Administration Removes Some Redactions From Epstein Files After Outcry From Lawmakers_](https://time.com/7373333/epstein-files-redactions-massie-khanna-trump/) Other Democrats similarly focused their remarks in the hearing on Epstein’s victims and pressed Bondi on the Justice Department’s handling of the case. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the panel, accused the Attorney General of “siding with the perpetrators” and “ignoring the victims” in his own [opening statement](https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ranking-member-raskin-s-opening-statement-at-hearing-slamming-attorney-general-bondi-s-epstein-cover-up-betrayal-of-the-principle-of-justice-for-all). “That will be your legacy, unless you act quickly to change course,” Raskin said. “You’re running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice.” Raskin introduced Bondi to the victims and family members of late victims who were present at the hearing before remarking, "You're not showing a lot of interest in the victims, Mrs. Attorney General." Later in the hearing, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida again directly addressed the victims in the room, asking them to stand and answer a series of questions. Moskowitz asked the victims to raise their hands if they had met with the Justice Department and provided testimony and evidence, to which no one raised their hand. He then asked if they had reached out “individually, or through a lawyer or representative to offer to provide testimony and evidence,” to which all of the victims raised their hands. They all also raised their hands when asked if they had consequently been “denied or ignored” by the Justice Department and if they were still willing to speak to the department. The Department of Justice has been criticized by lawmakers and survivors of Epstein’s abuse for its delayed release of files related to the late sex offender despite a [law](https://time.com/7335230/trump-signs-epstein-files-bill/) requiring that it make all government files related to the case public by Dec. 19, and for redacting the names of multiple alleged associates of the disgraced financier in the released files while failing to redact some personal information and photos of survivors. The department [took down](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/01/jeffrey-epstein-files-sex-trafficking-survivors) thousands of documents from its Epstein files website earlier this month after outcry from victims and their attorneys about the haphazard redaction of potentially identifying information. Earlier this week, after lawmakers said the names of several high-profile figures had been concealed in the documents without clear legal reasons, the department also [moved to un-redact](https://time.com/7373333/epstein-files-redactions-massie-khanna-trump/) more than a dozen additional names. Bondi last testified before Congress in October, when she similarly sparred with Democratic lawmakers and gave little information over the course of a four-hour Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. ## Transcript [00:00] I want to take a moment to acknowledge [00:01] the Epstein survivors who are here today. [00:04] I'm a career prosecutor, [00:07] and despite what the ranking member said, [00:10] I have spent my entire career fighting for [00:14] victims and I will continue to do so. [00:18] I am deeply sorry for what any victim, [00:22] any victim, has been through, [00:24] especially as a result of that monster. [00:27] To the survivors in the room, [00:29] if you are willing, please stand. [00:34] And if you are willing, [00:36] please raise your hands. [00:38] If you have still not been able to [00:41] meet with this Department of Justice. [00:46] Please note for the record that [00:48] every single survivor has raised their hand. [00:52] Attorney General Bondi. [00:55] You apologized to the survivors in [00:58] your opening statement for what [01:00] they went through at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. [01:03] Will you turn to them now and apologize for what [01:07] your Department of Justice [01:09] has put them through with the UN? [01:13] Absolutely unacceptable release of [01:18] the Epstein files and their information. [01:21] Congresswoman, [01:23] you set before Merrick Garland sat in this chair twice. [01:28] Attorney General. [01:29] Bondi, can I finish my answer? [01:31] No. I'm going to reclaim [01:33] my time because I asked you, Attorney General, [01:35] to ask question the attorney general that I [01:37] would like your question to answer, [01:39] which is will you turn to the survivors? [01:42] This is not about anybody that came before you. [01:45] It is about you taking responsibility for [01:48] your Department of Justice and the harm that it has [01:52] done to the survivors who are [01:54] standing right behind you and are [01:57] waiting for you to turn to them [01:59] and apologize for what your Department of Justice. [02:02] Members members get to ask the questions [02:04] the witness gets to answer and [02:05] the way they want to answer the. [02:07] Chairman. [02:07] Because she doesn't like the answer. [02:09] So, um. [02:10] Mr. Chairman, why I have asked. [02:13] She asked Merrick Garland this time. [02:16] Reclaiming my. [02:17] Time. And when I reclaim my time. [02:20] Mr. chairman, the gentlelady has reclaimed her time. [02:22] Get in the gutter for her theatrics. [02:23] The time belongs to. The time belongs to the gentlelady. [02:26] The gentlelady has 17 seconds. [02:27] You got into office. [02:29] Attorney general claimed to have [02:30] a client list. Regular order. [02:32] Say that there was no list. [02:34] Your deputy, Todd Blanch, met alone. [02:38] With. [02:38] Elaine Maxwell. [02:39] The gentlelady has expired. [02:41] To a minimum security prison. [02:43] And now you continue the cover up. [02:46] The gentlelady. [02:46] Has expired. You would turn around to [02:48] the survivors who are standing right behind you. [02:52] And on a human level, chairman. [02:54] Chair now recognizes the chairman. [02:56] What you have done, I yield back. [02:57] The gentlelady. 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