Rep. Jordan (03:15:17):
... And the gentleman from Colorado is recognized for five minutes.
Rep. Neguse (03:15:22):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Here. Attorney General Bondi, sixdays ago, you posted online, quote, "If you come for law enforcement, theTrump administration will come for you." I want to show you just a briefvideo. It's about 30 seconds and I'll ask you a couple questions about it.
Video (03:15:41):
Hey, you guys are disgusting, man. Hey, you guys aredisgusting. I'm former law enforcement. You're disgusting. You are the Nazi.You are the Gestapo and you can't see it, because you're chasing your pension,right? Pension. Your retirement, right? That's what runs your life, yourretirement.
(03:15:54):
And the sad thing is they're not even going to get theirpension because it's not going to be [inaudible 03:16:01].
(03:16:01):
Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you. Yeah, fuck them.Yeah, kill them, yeah.
(03:16:18):
[inaudible 03:16:18].
Rep. Neguse (03:16:18):
Attorney General Bondi, that man works for you now, right?
Attorney General Bondi (03:16:25):
Who was that, Congressman?
Rep. Neguse (03:16:27):
The man in that video, the one who was in the police- wornbody cam footage, the one allegedly yelling kill them at police officers onJanuary 6th. His name is Jared Wise.
Attorney General Bondi (03:16:38):
He does work for us, yes.
Rep. Neguse (03:16:40):
He works for you at the Department of Justice.
Attorney General Bondi (03:16:42):
Yes, he does. He does.
Rep. Neguse (03:16:43):
This is an individual whom a federal grand jury indictedfor two felonies and four misdemeanors related to his participation in theattack on January 6th. One of those charges was forcibly assaulting, resisting,opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with police with the intentto commit another felony. This is who you choose, as the chief law enforcementofficer of the United States of America, to hire at the Department of Justice,someone on video yelling kill them at police officers, right?
Attorney General Bondi (03:17:18):
I believe he was pardoned by President Trump.
Rep. Neguse (03:17:21):
Oh, he was pardoned. You're right. You're right. Pardonedby President Trump for his offense. Pardoned for yelling kill them at policeofficers. And yet you expect hardworking police officers across the country tobelieve that you take law enforcement seriously. You could imagine the reactionof so many folks across the country hearing the chief law enforcement officerof the United States refuse to even condemn what that individual, whom you'venow hired, did.
(03:17:57):
But in any event, let's talk a little bit about some ofthe other divisions within the Department of Justice and what's happened overthe last year. You're familiar with the Public Integrity Section of the DOJ'sCriminal Division, I think it's referred to as PIN. Is that right?
Attorney General Bondi (03:18:11):
Yes.
Rep. Neguse (03:18:11):
Okay. Do you know which presidential administration underwhich the PIN was first created?
Attorney General Bondi (03:18:17):
I can tell you what administration that the weaponizationwas ended under.
Rep. Neguse (03:18:21):
I'll reclaim my time. This wasn't a trick question.
Attorney General Bondi (03:18:23):
You don't get to reclaim your time, it was-
Rep. Neguse (03:18:25):
Madam Attorney General-
Attorney General Bondi (03:18:26):
Because I don't like it-
Rep. Neguse (03:18:26):
Mr. Chairman.
Speaker 19 (03:18:26):
Mr. Chairman, can you explain to the witness-
Attorney General Bondi (03:18:27):
... I don't answer the question the way you like it?
Speaker 19 (03:18:29):
... that he does reclaim his time.
Attorney General Bondi (03:18:30):
Because I don't answer a question to your satisfaction?
Rep. Neguse (03:18:32):
[inaudible 03:18:33], Mr. Chairman.
Rep. Jordan (03:18:33):
Madam Attorney General, the time belongs to the gentlemanfrom Colorado.
Rep. Neguse (03:18:37):
The president under which PIN was created was Gerald Ford.It was created after Watergate-
Attorney General Bondi (03:18:42):
Exactly.
Rep. Neguse (03:18:42):
I'm not asking a question, Madam Attorney General. Theadministration under which it was created was Gerald Ford. When you firststarted as the attorney general of the United States, there were 35 peopleworking in that office. There are now two people working in that office becauseyou have gutted it.
(03:18:55):
How many people work for the National CryptocurrencyEnforcement Team in the Criminal Division today?
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:03):
Can I answer the question about PIN?
Rep. Neguse (03:19:05):
I've asked you a question, how many people work-
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:09):
You've asked me a question but you don't want me toanswer.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:09):
... How many people work for the National Cryptocurrency-
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:10):
I'm not going to answer the questions the way you want.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:11):
... Enforcement Team? You won't answer how many people?
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:13):
I'll answer PIN.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:15):
You... You know what-
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:18):
PIN will not be weaponized.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:18):
... Actually, you know what, Madam-
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:19):
What's funny about this?
Rep. Neguse (03:19:20):
... [inaudible 03:19:20], I'll say to the chairman.
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:21):
What's funny about this?
Rep. Neguse (03:19:22):
Mr. Chairman, you know what the answer is, and I think Iunderstand why-
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:24):
What's funny about this?
Rep. Neguse (03:19:25):
... the attorney general does not want to answer thequestion. Because you eliminated the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Teamlast year. So I understand why you don't want to tell the American people whoworks there. No one works there anymore-
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:35):
Yeah, I understand why you don't want to talk aboutMohamed Soliman in your district.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:36):
... Madam Attorney General. In any event, I will[inaudible 03:19:37]-
Speaker 19 (03:19:37):
Mr. Chairman, will you stop the clock so his time is notwasted by the witness?
Rep. Jordan (03:19:41):
I've been very generous with allowing extra time when wehave these little disputes.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:45):
I understand.
Rep. Jordan (03:19:46):
You got the time, Mr. Neguse.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:47):
I might as well ask the chairman these questions-
Rep. Jordan (03:19:49):
I'd be happy to answer some of your questions.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:50):
... because what's profound, the questions I've asked-
Attorney General Bondi (03:19:53):
Profound? The crime in your district.
Rep. Neguse (03:19:56):
... Mr. Chairman, are not trick questions. They're notgotcha questions. They're actually basic questions about how the Department ofJustice functions, and the unwillingness of this attorney general to answerthem. In good faith, when a member of Congress asks how many people work at theNational Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and the attorney general refuses toanswer it, it is not a coincidence, it's because she eliminated the team. Why?Because her boss, the president of the United States, is making money hand overfist, $ 1.4 billion over the course of the last year, through cryptocurrencyholdings. I think what is happening at the Department of Justice is a disgrace,Mr. Chairman. And I would urge you to gain control of this hearing. With that,I yield back the balance of my time.
Rep. Jordan (03:20:48):
Yeah. I would ask the gentleman, does he agree with thestanding up of the deputy attorney general for dealing with fraud? That'ssomething that's happened in this administration first time. You talked aboutPIN, that happened with this Justice Department.
Speaker 19 (03:21:02):
We're talking about this committee.
Rep. Neguse (03:21:03):
Mr. Chairman, had you answered the question, and theAttorney General answered the question in that way. Perhaps this hearing wouldhave some modicum of resembling something that has typically been fairlyconventional, an oversight hearing of the Department of Justice. That is notthis.
Rep. Jordan (03:21:20):
The gentleman's time has expired. The gentlelady fromWyoming is recognized for five minutes.
Rep. Hageman (03:21:24):
Attorney General Bondi, I want to express my gratitude tothe president, you and your team, for your continued efforts against extremeanti-energy policies taken by states and cities that serve only to increasecosts on the American people. This is an issue of great concern for Congress aswell as the consumers. At the behest of networks, of non-governmentalorganizations and anti-growth activists, Democratic controlled states andcities are enacting laws and pursuing coordinated lawsuits that would impose retroactiveliability on energy producers for past global emissions based on speculativefuture climate change harms.
(03:22:03):
The proponents of these plans call them climate super fundlaws, but in reality, that is simply window dressing for taxes and fees imposedon consumers and businesses that don't even have a presence in these states orcommunities. But if you look at the billions of dollars they hope to gain fromthese efforts, the real goal here is to increase their already mismanaged statebudgets by imposing fees on consumers and businesses in energy producing statessuch as the state of Wyoming. I would describe this as the tobacco litigationon steroids.
(03:22:33):
Vermont has enacted such a law, and another has recentlygone into effect in New York. Similar laws are under consideration in a numberof other states. Clearly this problem is spreading. Would you agree thatCongress has not authorized states to impose retroactive liability againstenergy producers and lawful carbon emissions?
Attorney General Bondi (03:22:54):
Yes.
Rep. Hageman (03:22:55):
And would you also agree that protecting consumers is acore part of the DOJ's mission?
Attorney General Bondi (03:23:01):
Absolutely.
Rep. Hageman (03:23:02):
Would you further agree that combating state policies thatseek to hide and shift the true cost of programs like these onto consumers fitswithin your mission?
Attorney General Bondi (03:23:13):
Yes.
Rep. Hageman (03:23:14):
So Attorney General Bondi, fossil fuels are the foundationof the US economy, and the recent winter storms underscored that gas, coal andoil remain essential to grid reliability and heating our homes. Can you confirmthat the DOJ is fully committed to using all available legal tools to stopthese state and local level attacks on domestic energy production?
Attorney General Bondi (03:23:35):
Congresswoman, we are committed to that and so is theentire administration. We talk about that a lot.
Rep. Hageman (03:23:41):
Thank you.
Attorney General Bondi (03:23:41):
Thank you.
Rep. Hageman (03:23:42):
The president's April 2025 executive order directed theDOJ to identify an act against state laws that burden US energy production.What concrete actions has the DOJ, and the administration more broadly, takento carry out this directive?
Attorney General Bondi (03:23:58):
Well, we filed four lawsuits. We are filing multiplelawsuits. Many things are pending within this office to carry that out.
Rep. Hageman (03:24:05):
Okay. States continue to invent new causes of action topursue state climate lawfare, as is evidenced by Michigan's recent novel claimrelated to antitrust violations. The city of Boulder, Colorado has also filedsuch a lawsuit despite refusing my challenge that they actually forego the useof fossil fuels if they disagree with them so much. Does the Department ofJustice agree that these novel approaches require a federal response and willthe department pursue such an approach?
Attorney General Bondi (03:24:35):
Yes, Congresswoman, and we'd be happy to talk to you moreabout that.
Rep. Hageman (03:24:38):
Wonderful. Thank you. Multiple climate lawsuits...Multiple climate lawsuits are now advancing toward trial, even in states thatrely on those energy forms to provide heat and electricity for their citizens.In fact, in any community, they all rely upon fossil fuels in some fashion. Isthe department actively considering intervention to protect federal supremacyover interstate emissions and energy policy?
Attorney General Bondi (03:25:07):
Yes, we'd be happy to discuss that with you.
Rep. Hageman (03:25:09):
Thank you. And clearly this is an area in which Congresshas a role to play. To that end, I'm working with my colleagues in both theHouse and Senate to craft legislation, tackling both these state laws and thelawsuits that could destroy energy affordability for consumers. To that end,are there any authorities or tools that DOJ and the administration don'tcurrently have at their disposal that would be helpful in that effort thatCongress could adopt?
Attorney General Bondi (03:25:33):
Well, we work with multiple agencies throughout theadministration, but I'd be happy to talk to you about that more.
Rep. Hageman (03:25:40):
Wonderful. Thank you. I appreciate your effort in thisregard.
Attorney General Bondi (03:25:43):
And may I have 20 seconds of your time before to addresssomething?
Rep. Hageman (03:25:48):
Please. Yes.
Attorney General Bondi (03:25:48):
Thank you. Your colleague, Senator Neguse, didn't want totalk about crypto because he said I was a disgrace talking about crypto becausehe didn't want to talk about the tremendous crime in his jurisdiction. He votedno on preventing violence against women by illegal aliens. Yet, on June 1st,2025, Mohamed Soliman attacked members of the group Run for Their Lives inBoulder, Colorado, where an 82-year-old woman sustained burns on over half ofher body and eventually died from her injuries.
Rep. Hageman (03:26:32):
I believe that she was a Holocaust survivor.
Attorney General Bondi (03:26:33):
She was.
Rep. Hageman (03:26:34):
Thank you.
Rep. Jordan (03:26:35):
The time of the gentlelady has expired...
Rep. Hageman (03:26:37):
Thank you, I yield back.
Rep. Jordan (03:26:37):
The gentlelady yields back and the gentlelady from Georgiais recognized.
Rep. McBath (03:26:42):
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Bondi, as the Florida AttorneyGeneral, attorneys from your office handled the appeal of my son, JordanDavis's murder, which was denied. As a result of the efforts of those attorneysunder your watch, the court actually upheld the life sentence for a man whoused prejudice as his defense for murdering my son and scarring his friends forlife. Attorneys from your office under your management worked hard to remove adangerous man from the community who terrorized innocent people like my son andhis friends.
(03:27:21):
The compassion and respect that my family receivedthroughout that ordeal were critical in helping us keep faith in the rule oflaw and justice. Based on my experiences, I've seen how strong victim services,sustained investigations, and well-supported prosecutors can make a meaningfuldifference in the lives of families who are grieving and suffering.
(03:27:48):
Ms. Bondi, just yes or no, would you agree that governmentofficials should be respectful and supportive of victims' families as theymourn?
Attorney General Bondi (03:28:00):
First, Congresswoman, thank you for talking about that.And I'm so very sorry for what happened to your family.
Rep. McBath (03:28:08):
Thank you.
Attorney General Bondi (03:28:09):
And yes, I agree with that with all victims, including theones sitting behind us today. I absolutely do. And also, thank you for votingyes on the Laken Riley Act.
Rep. McBath (03:28:18):
Thank you for that.
Attorney General Bondi (03:28:19):
Thank you.
Rep. McBath (03:28:19):
Okay. So your answer is why the recent treatment offamilies in Minnesota raises really serious concerns for me, because shortlyafter Mr. Alex Pretti was murdered, administration officials referred to him asan assassin and called Mr. Pretti the definition of domestic terrorism. Theyalso lied about Mr. Pretti holding a gun and threatening officers. After Ms.Renee Good was murdered by ICE officials in Minneapolis, administrationofficials also accused her of being a domestic terrorist and investigated herwife in a clear act of retaliation.
(03:28:54):
The statement Mr. Pretti's mother made after the murderresonated with me more than you'll ever imagine. She said that, and I'mquoting, "The sickening lies, told about our son by the administration,are reprehensible and disgusting." And I assure you, I know how it feelsto hear lies that are told to justify the taking of someone's son. They wereused by my son's murderer as a defense, and those lies still affect me today.He was called a thug and he was called a gang banger, and the attorneys fromyour office actually defended my son's name, his memory, and defended hishonor.
(03:29:39):
I'm certain that Mr. Pretti's mother watched videos of herson, Alex, an ICU nurse at the VA hospital, using his phone to record federalagents. She also watched him getting pepper-sprayed, kicked, hit in the head,and surrounded by at least seven agents before having his gun removed from hiswaistband, which he legally carried. And she watched, seconds later, as two ofthose agents shot her son, Alex, at least 10 times. The administration wasquick to spew an incorrect narrative and call him so many things that theywanted us to ignore the truth that we actually saw with our own eyes.
(03:30:20):
Ms. Bondi, will you announce the statements that were madeto tarnish the names of Alex Pretti and Renee Good? And will you protect theirnames, like those attorneys back in Florida under your watch protected my son'sname?
Attorney General Bondi (03:30:38):
What I will say is we are looking at everything to shedlight on what happened that day. And it is an ongoing and active investigation,both of those cases. And I assure you they will be investigated.
Rep. McBath (03:30:51):
Investigating, we understand that, but will you doeverything in your power as you have done for my case? As you are asked to do,as you've sworn an oath to do, it is your responsibility to make sure thatyou're following the rule of law. Those families in Minnesota, they deserve thesame respect. They deserve a full investigation, which you have not even beginto do yet. So what are you saying is that they don't deserve any respect for afull investigation into their murders?
Attorney General Bondi (03:31:22):
Well, that's not accurate.
Rep. McBath (03:31:22):
That is incompetence on your behalf.
Attorney General Bondi (03:31:25):
Well, that is not accurate.
Rep. McBath (03:31:26):
The American people do deserve better. Non-commitment todefending the rule of law is what we see from you.
Attorney General Bondi (03:31:32):
I told you we were investigating.
Rep. McBath (03:31:33):
I always stand up for survivors, and I heard you sayearlier when you told us that you will fight for them as well. And based on theinformation before us, these families have not received the same commitment toinvestigate what happened to their loved ones, nor have they received therespect that I would expect from the nation's top law enforcement officer.Investigations have been slow-walked, they've been canceled, and the specialagent assigned to Renee Good's investigation resigned, following pressure fromyour officials to reclassify Ms. Good's case.
Rep. Jordan (03:32:03):
Time of the gentlelady-
Rep. McBath (03:32:05):
For family seeking answers and accountability, thewithdrawal of investigative resources is simply unacceptable.
Rep. Jordan (03:32:10):
The time of the gentlelady has expired, the gentleladyyields back. The gentleman from California is recognized.
Rep. McClintock (03:32:15):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Attorney General, I get thesense that we've lost a little perspective here. The most fundamentalresponsibility of government is to protect the lives and property of itscitizens. Now, you cited some crime figures in your opening statement, and Iwonder if you could repeat them because I think it's one of the mostextraordinary achievements of the Department of Justice in our history. And Idon't think some of my colleagues heard you clearly.
Attorney General Bondi (03:32:41):
Thank you, Congressman. And would you mind if I addresssomething that Congresswoman McBath wouldn't let me address first?
Rep. McClintock (03:32:50):
Go right ahead.
Attorney General Bondi (03:32:50):
The reason that she wants to continue to talk aboutMinnesota, which we will all day long, is she doesn't want to talk about herown jurisdiction in Atlanta, because she doesn't want to talk about ChristopherWelcher, who traveled across state lines to try to meet... And nothing's funnyabout this... to meet and molest a 14-year-old girl in Georgia. That's whythey're watching the clock, the American people should know, for the second itruns out because they don't want to address anything in their jurisdiction.They're elected to represent people in their jurisdiction. We prosecutedillegal aliens who ran a large-scale meth operation in the Atlanta metro area.
Rep. Neguse (03:33:30):
You understand we don't prosecute, right, Ms. Bondi?
Rep. McClintock (03:33:32):
Madam Attorney General-
Rep. Jordan (03:33:33):
[inaudible 03:33:34], Mr. McClintock.
Attorney General Bondi (03:33:35):
I'm sorry. Thank you. So yes, the statistics I spoke ofearlier, Congressman, under the leadership of the FBI, historic work has beendone. A drop, 20%, in the nationwide murder rate in 2025. Least murders in ourcountry since 1900, and that is to the work... because of the credit of DonaldTrump.
Rep. McClintock (03:34:00):
Well, it's not just homicides, is it? It's also otherviolent crimes, robbery. Could you go through that list real quick?
Attorney General Bondi (03:34:06):
Yes, Congressman. 100% increase in violent crime arrestsin 2025 compared to 2024.
Rep. McClintock (03:34:14):
What's that done to the violent crime rate in the country?
Attorney General Bondi (03:34:17):
It's plummeting. 1,800 gangs-
Rep. McClintock (03:34:19):
Wait a sec, wait a sec. Do you mean to honestly tell us,and you're under oath, that if we take violent criminals off the streets, weend up with less crime?
Attorney General Bondi (03:34:29):
I certainly hope so, Congressman. And that's our goal andthat's President Trump's goal.
Rep. McClintock (03:34:32):
That's an extraordinary concept. And I'm afraid it may belost on some of our Democratic colleagues. I look at these numbers and they'reabsolutely staggering. It didn't happen by accident. It happened because ofspecific policies that you've implemented this year. And you mentioned a few ofthem. Would you continue?
Attorney General Bondi (03:34:51):
Over 6,000 child victims located, 22% increase. Over 1,700child predators arrested, 10% increase. Over 300 human traffickers arrested.Let me jump down to DEA right now. That was just FBI. Under Terry Cole'sleadership... And I talk to these people almost daily, our directors, and theamazing work that they're doing in all of your jurisdictions on the left andthe right, working together to take drugs off our streets.
Rep. McClintock (03:35:25):
Right. And I assume that our Democratic colleagues, someof whom represent some of our most crime-plagued cities and communities, havethanked you for this extraordinary accomplishment.
Attorney General Bondi (03:35:35):
Thank you, Congressman. We've seized more than 9,800 kilosof fentanyl and 47 million fentanyl pills. That affects every single person inthis room. It doesn't matter what political party you are. People, everyone inthis room, knows someone who's died from fentanyl, a parent, a child, a sister,a brother, a friend, a neighbor, a relative. Everyone here knows someone whohas been impacted by that. That is the common ground that I wish we could findto work together in this country, to take these drugs off the streets. Andsomeone nodded with vapes...
Rep. McClintock (03:36:15):
Well, in your opening statement, you said that thishistoric success in protecting the lives and property of Americans has occurredwhen local governments have cooperated with you.
Attorney General Bondi (03:36:23):
Yes.
Rep. McClintock (03:36:23):
Let me ask you, what are the greatest impediments you'refacing in bringing down crime across the country?
Attorney General Bondi (03:36:29):
Well, when local governments, of course, do not cooperatewith us... And that's where criminals flee in jurisdictions where they knowthey will be protected by local governments. And this is all about workingtogether. And we have shown that in what we did in DC, what we're doing inMemphis, working together with Democrat mayors in these cities. Right here inDC.
Rep. McClintock (03:36:53):
And very quickly, if you could tell us about the SafeCities program and give us your read on what cities that avail themselves ofthis program can expect.
Attorney General Bondi (03:37:01):
Yes. So far, of course, we've been working in Washington,DC, right here, to do everything we can, working hand in hand with the mayor,with the Metro PD to keep everyone safe in DC. And it's been a tremendouseffort. And now we're in Memphis, working with the mayor in Memphis, as wetalked about earlier, doing everything we can. These are iconic cities in ourcountry. And we want to help every city in this country who wants and asks forPresident Trump's help, to make America safe again.
Rep. Jordan (03:37:35):
Gentlemen...
Rep. McBath (03:37:35):
Mr. Chair, I have UCs.
Rep. Jordan (03:37:36):
Let the record show that a Democrat was applauding theattorney general's answer there. The unanimous consent?
Rep. McBath (03:37:46):
Yes, please.
Rep. Jordan (03:37:47):
All right. The gentlelady is recognized.
Rep. McBath (03:37:47):
Mr. Chair, I have a few unanimous consent requests I wouldlike to submit into the record, this New York Times article, titled, AlexPretti's friends and family denounce sickening lies about his life. I alsowould like to submit this Daily Mail exclusive interview with Vice President JDVance, titled, JD Vance refuses to apologize to Alex Pretti's family afterspreading ICE assassin claim.
Rep. Jordan (03:38:08):
Without objection.
Rep. McBath (03:38:09):
One more. My last submission request is a New York Timesarticle, titled, FBI agent who tried to investigate ICE officer in shootingresigns.
Rep. Jordan (03:38:18):
Without objection.
Rep. McBath (03:38:19):
Thank you.
Rep. Jordan (03:38:19):
The chair now recognizes the gentlelady from NorthCarolina.
Rep. Ross (03:38:22):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Attorney General Bondi, I thinkyou and pretty much everybody else here and throughout the country believesthat convicted sex offenders don't deserve special treatment or privileges inprison. And yet Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator, receivedperk after perk in prison. In July, she had a two-day interview with yourdeputy and President Trump's former defense attorney, Todd Blanche. Just daysafter that, Maxwell was transferred from a federal correctional institution inFlorida to a minimum security camp in Texas, which she, as a sex offender,would normally be ineligible for. At this new facility, as the ranking membertalked about, and by the way, it's nicknamed Club Fed, we've heard reports thatshe's been afforded special privileges, puppy time, private workouts, personalmail, secretarial services.
(03:39:26):
Attorney General Bondi, does a convicted sex offender,like Ghislaine Maxwell, deserve special treatment and privileges in prison? Yesor no?
Attorney General Bondi (03:39:35):
Let me be crystal clear on this. No. And let me talk-
Rep. Ross (03:39:39):
Thank you. Perfect.
Attorney General Bondi (03:39:39):
No, let me keep going.
Rep. Ross (03:39:40):
Perfect. Well, I have a few more questions.
Attorney General Bondi (03:39:41):
I did not know she was being transferred-
Rep. Ross (03:39:43):
I asked you yes or no and I'm reclaiming my time, Mr.Chairman.
Attorney General Bondi (03:39:44):
... and she was not transferred to a lower level.
Speaker 19 (03:39:46):
Mr. Chairman, please stop the clock and remind the witnessof the rules. One rule she needs to understand here.
Rep. Ross (03:39:51):
I'm glad that we're agreeing. So when we're agreeing, wecan move on to some other things.
Attorney General Bondi (03:39:54):
But I'm not agreeing with you.
Rep. Ross (03:39:55):
But I want you to know that every time she does get theseperks, and it's been publicly reported, that the folks she's abused, thesurvivors who are sitting here, they see themselves as being denied justice.They feel re-traumatized. And I'm glad that we agree on that, but she shouldnot be in that prison, and she needs to be moved back to a maximum securityprison as soon as possible.
(03:40:27):
But what she has told another committee here is that shewon't cooperate with them unless she gets clemency from Donald Trump. It's justcrazy to consider that she can be wielding this kind of influence within theadministration. But that begs the question, who ordered her to be transferredto the minimum security prison that she was ineligible for? Who signed off onthe special privileges? Was it Mr. Blanche? Was it one of your othersubordinates? So please, can you tell us who sent her there since you don'tagree she should be there?
Attorney General Bondi (03:41:10):
I said I do not agree she should receive specialtreatment. She was transferred, I learned after the fact, to the same levelfacility, and that is a question for the Bureau of Prisons. I was not involvedin that at all. The same level facility. I don't know why. But instead oftalking about Ghislaine Maxwell, who hopefully will die in prison, hopefullywill die in prison, you should be talking about Iryna Zarutska.
Rep. Ross (03:41:35):
I have a couple of other questions-
Attorney General Bondi (03:41:36):
Who died on a subway.
Rep. Ross (03:41:37):
Right. And I absolutely-
Attorney General Bondi (03:41:39):
But you don't talk about that.
Rep. Ross (03:41:40):
I have been talking about it and actually helping withthese issues, but we're going to move back to you.
Attorney General Bondi (03:41:45):
I bet we are.
Rep. Ross (03:41:46):
Yes, of course, because you're here to testify. That'swhat the whole point of this endeavor is. So of course we're moving back toyou. It is all about you.
(03:41:56):
So as we've heard, she took the fifth in response to everysingle question in that committee hearing. And her lawyer dangled the offer ofclemency. Should Donald Trump pardon or commute her sentence? Should she bereleased from prison, yes or no? You said you hope she dies there, so I'mhoping the answer's no.
Attorney General Bondi (03:42:22):
I already answered that question.
Rep. Ross (03:42:25):
Good. I'm very glad. I really like this bipartisanagreement about what should happen to her.
Attorney General Bondi (03:42:31):
But when it agrees with you. But you don't want to talkabout Iryna Zarutska. You don't want to talk about-
Rep. Ross (03:42:36):
I talk about her all the time-
Attorney General Bondi (03:42:37):
... murdered by a violent crime [inaudible 03:42:38]-
Rep. Ross (03:42:38):
But I am not here to testify-
Attorney General Bondi (03:42:40):
... in your jurisdiction.
Rep. Ross (03:42:41):
... before Congress. You are. That is your job today.That's what you're getting beat for.
Attorney General Bondi (03:42:44):
You're obsessed with attack [inaudible 03:42:46]-
Rep. Jordan (03:42:44):
Time belongs to gentlelady.
Rep. Ross (03:42:47):
So I want you to know that your own DOJ employee, he'srecently been demoted and had some other problems, advises on pardons. Do youthink he will be advising Mr. Trump on any kind of clemency or pardon forGhislaine Maxwell?
Attorney General Bondi (03:43:09):
I'm not going to speculate and you couldn't even identifyproperly... That's why you don't want to talk about Iryna Zarutska. Youcouldn't properly identify her relative.
Rep. Ross (03:43:17):
I absolutely-
Attorney General Bondi (03:43:22):
It's embarrassing.
Rep. Ross (03:43:22):
... have been... And her family, by the way, appreciatesall of the condolences, all of the help, everything that our law enforcement inNorth Carolina has been doing to help her family. Her family feels welltreated. Thank you. And I yield back.
Rep. Jordan (03:43:40):
The gentlelady yields back. Gentleman from California isrecognized.
Rep. McClintock (03:43:42):
I'd ask unanimous consent to enter into the record anarticle by former Attorney General William P. Barr entitled, Why Pam Bondididn't publish all the Epstein files in 30 days? The answer is simple. It wasnot possible, from the Wall Street Journal.
Rep. Jordan (03:43:56):
Well said. Without objection, the gentlelady from Floridais recognized.
Speaker 20 (03:43:56):
Speaker 21 (03:44:01):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Attorney General Bondi (03:44:03):
Madam, I'm sorry. May I respond 20 seconds to somethingthat Congresswoman Ross said?
Speaker 21 (03:44:09):
Go right ahead.
Attorney General Bondi (03:44:10):
Thank you. She also opposed a sex offender registry ashead of North Carolina ACLU. Thank you.
Speaker 21 (03:44:17):
Thank you, Madam Attorney General. And I'd like to pick upwhere you left off a moment ago, because we convene here today as a committeefor the stated purpose of conducting oversight of the Department of Justice.And so it's critical for us to focus first on the mission of the department andassess your success in discharging it. So the mission of the department is toenforce federal law, defend the rule of law, and protect the American peoplefrom violent crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud and exploitation, topromote public safety. And what we have heard today unequivocally is thatPresident Trump's Department of Justice under your leadership, Attorney GeneralBondi, is doing exactly that. Just a moment ago, you shared with us someincredible statistics, that the United States under your leadership hasachieved the lowest murder rate in 125 years. That in the first year of thisadministration, murder is down 21%, robbery is down 23%, carjacking down 43%,and gun assault down 22%. That is what public safety looks like.
(03:45:33):
Under your leadership and that of President Trump, you'velocated more than 6,000 child victims of trafficking and exploitation, arrested1,700 child predators and apprehended more than 300 human traffickers,significant increases. And those aren't just statistics. Those are preciouslives that your department and the men and women of federal law enforcementhave saved.
(03:45:56):
Madam Attorney General, you've mentioned a couple ofspecific criminal trends during this hearing that I'd like to discuss with youfurther, because one of our important roles in Congress is making sure that ourlaws and our law enforcement stay ahead of predators as technology evolves. Ilead legislation in the House along with bipartisan co-sponsors on thiscommittee, to make sextortion a clearly defined criminal offense. We actuallypassed that out of the House of Representatives. We have a bill to promoteOperation Renewed Hope, to help rescue more child victims, and the Defiance Actto provide legal recourse to victims of deep fake AI intimate images. I wouldlove to hear your perspective and what you are seeing related to thesetechnology-based criminal trends, sextortion and AI deep fakes. What are youseeing at the Department of Justice, and why do you believe that efforts tocombat these types of crimes are important?
Attorney General Bondi (03:46:59):
Sextortion, and thank you for supporting thatcongresswoman. I think that was a bipartisan effort, actually. I think many ofyou on both sides of the aisle supported that. Thank you for that. As a careerprosecutor, it's horrible seeing that and seeing that young women and oftenyoung boys have been exploited with sextortion. And I see, thank you, bothsides of the aisle, nodding on that. It's horrific. The suicide rates go up,and that's why we have to do everything in our power to protect not only younggirls, adult women, boys and men from sextortion, because it is happening andwe're doing everything in our power thanks to your legislation, all of you, tostop that.
Speaker 21 (03:47:47):
I'd like to hear a little bit more about some of theDepartment of Justice programs like Project Safe Childhood and the InternetCrimes Against Children Task Forces, partnerships that bring together federal,state, and local law enforcement. Sometimes the work between those lawenforcement groups together really creates some incredibly powerful outcomesand some great success stories. I know you, as Florida's attorney general, hada tremendous amount of leadership in our state, trying to make sure we were takingcare of children, also the elderly, protecting them from fraud, ending drugtrafficking. Tell us a little bit about some of those departments within DOJ.
Attorney General Bondi (03:48:27):
Yeah. When you talked about Project Safe neighborhoods,we've done a lot of that in Florida when I was state AG and actually back whenI was a state prosecutor, prior to being attorney general. That is soimportant. I feel like what we've been doing in DC too with the Take Back DCand Make DC Safe Again is similar to that. Going into the neighborhoods,working with the community, seeing law enforcement officers out there playingbasketball with kids who live in the neighborhood. It's pretty remarkable what we'veseen firsthand. Citizens in Memphis saying that they appreciate they can walkoutdoors now and they feel safe. People coming up thanking law enforcement andworking hand in hand with them. We will continue all of these programs andworking jointly with both sides of the aisle to keep our families safe.
Speaker 21 (03:49:19):
Thank you for that, Madam Attorney General. Mr. Chairman,I yield back.
Mr. Chairman (03:49:24):
Gentle lady yields back. Gentlemen from Tennessee isrecognized.
Mr. Cohan (03:49:28):
Thank you. I'd like to introduce for the record, a letterto Director Gabbard from Mr. Warner and Mr. Himes, and a letter of responsefrom her to them about who invited her to Atlanta and a copy of the searchwarrant. And I'd also like to just make clear for the record. The reason peoplein Memphis weren't going out was because the ICE was on the ground and we wereafraid we'd fall. But other than that, we go out all the time.
Mr. Chairman (03:49:58):
Gentlemen, without objection, the gentle lady from Vermontis recognized.
Ms. Balint (03:50:03):
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Attorney General Bondi, according toyour department, a child is sexually abused in the United States every nineminutes, and the vast majority of survivors never get justice. And that's oneof the reasons why I think the Epstein case has resonated so deeply with somany Americans. And the other reason I think is because it has revealed atwo-tiered system of justice and the powerful are protected and the survivorsrarely get any accountability. And the Epstein files contain evidence of amulti-decade international criminal conspiracy involving some of the wealthiestand the most powerful people in the world. There's evidence of financialcrimes, political corruption, sex trafficking, and of course, horrible sexualabuse. And I want to remind everybody, this isn't a game. These are realpeople, people who have suffered, who are sitting here with us today, and theydeserve answers, and they deserve accountability.
(03:51:04):
And I'm here to try to get some for them. Now, I've seensome of the unredacted Epstein files, and obviously, as you know, PresidentTrump's name is all over them, but so are the names of other senior Trumpofficials. Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, John Phelan, the Secretary ofthe Navy, and Steven Feinberg, the Deputy Secretary of Defense. These men wereappointed by President Trump to senior positions in his administration. All ofthem have clear and confirmed ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Attorney General Bondi,yes or no, has the Justice Department asked Secretary Lutnick about his ties toEpstein?
Attorney General Bondi (03:51:45):
Excuse me. Secretary Lutnick has addressed those tieshimself.
Ms. Balint (03:51:50):
I'm asking you, has the Justice Department specificallyasked Secretary Lutnick about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein?
Attorney General Bondi (03:51:58):
He has addressed those ties himself.
Ms. Balint (03:52:01):
Has the DOJ asked Secretary Phelan about his ties toJeffrey Epstein?
Attorney General Bondi (03:52:06):
I don't know whether he has addressed those or not.
Ms. Balint (03:52:08):
Has Deputy Secretary Feinberg talked the Department ofJustice about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein? Yes or no. Has the Department ofJustice talked to Deputy Secretary Feinberg about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein,which are clearly spelled out in the files? It's a very simple question. It'snot a trick question. I'm just asking you.
Attorney General Bondi (03:52:33):
Yeah. I'm stunned that you want to continue talking about-
Ms. Balint (03:52:37):
Oh my gosh.
Attorney General Bondi (03:52:37):
... Epstein, instead of a-
Ms. Balint (03:52:39):
I'm recording my time. I'm asking you not a trickquestion, a simple question. Okay. So what is clear is, we have evidence.
Attorney General Bondi (03:52:47):
Do you know who Chris Maylin is?
Ms. Balint (03:52:49):
We have evidence that three senior officials within theTrump administration have ties to Jeffrey Epstein. And what I can do-
Attorney General Bondi (03:52:57):
What does ties mean?
Ms. Balint (03:52:58):
... I can conclude-
Attorney General Bondi (03:53:00):
What does ties mean?
Ms. Balint (03:53:00):
... From why you are saying, that you have not talked tothem.
Attorney General Bondi (03:53:03):
What does ties mean? Can you define that?
Ms. Balint (03:53:04):
I think Americans would be shocked to learn that you arenot interested in talking with these officials who have ties to JeffreyEpstein.
Attorney General Bondi (03:53:14):
What does ties mean? Can you define that?
Ms. Balint (03:53:15):
Across the world-
Attorney General Bondi (03:53:17):
Can you define ties?
Ms. Balint (03:53:17):
... Prominent men, who have been exposed in the files haveresigned their jobs in disgrace. And that's a good first start. And that samestandard-
Attorney General Bondi (03:53:26):
Disgrace is not saying the word Chris Maylin.
Ms. Balint (03:53:27):
The same standard should apply here. And Americans wantaccountability.
Attorney General Bondi (03:53:33):
Who is Chris Maylin?
Ms. Balint (03:53:35):
Was the president aware, please stop talking. It is notyour time to ask questions. It is not your time. I'm reclaiming my time, Mr.Chair. One second.
Mr. Chairman (03:53:43):
Time belongs to the gentle lady from Vermont.
Ms. Balint (03:53:45):
Was the president aware of Secretary Lutnick's ties toEpstein when he chose him to lead the Department of Commerce? Was he aware?
Attorney General Bondi (03:53:55):
Chris Maylin was a border patrol agent.
Ms. Balint (03:53:57):
Okay. So I'm going to conclude that the president in factdid know about his ties, because he was the next door neighbor.
Attorney General Bondi (03:54:04):
Shame on you.
Ms. Balint (03:54:05):
Oh, for goodness sakes. This is pathetic, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chairman (03:54:10):
The committee will be in order.
Ms. Balint (03:54:10):
I am not asking trick questions here. The American peoplehave a right to know the answers to this. These are senior officials in theTrump administration. This is not a game, secretary.
Attorney General Bondi (03:54:24):
I'm attorney general.
Ms. Balint (03:54:25):
My apologies. I couldn't tell. By 2008, we knew thatEpstein was a convicted sexual abuser. And we now know that Lutnick went toEpstein's Island in 2012. How was that not a deal breaker for the president?And why aren't you asking questions of the commerce secretary about what he sawwhen he was at the island, which he lied about not ever going to? Why are younot asking these questions? And I see that my time is almost expired, so I willsay this, do the right thing, attorney general, meet with the survivors. Theyhave been asking for a year. Meet with the survivors, do the right thing. Iyield back.
Mr. Chairman (03:55:10):
Gentle lady yields back. The gentleman from South Carolinais recognized for five minutes.
Attorney General Bondi (03:55:14):
May I have 20 seconds of his time?
Mr. Chairman (03:55:16):
That'd be up to the gentleman, but...
Mr. Fry (03:55:18):
Absolutely, madam.
Attorney General Bondi (03:55:19):
Thank you. I was curious if you, Congresswoman, asked BillClinton that. Didn't see one tweet, not one, I didn't see one tweet when JoeBiden was in office about Bill Clinton. Didn't ask Merrick Garland anythingabout Epstein, not once when he was-
Ms. Balint (03:55:39):
Weak sauce, weak sauce.
Attorney General Bondi (03:55:40):
And also, I want the record to reflect that with thisanti-Semitic culture right now, she voted against a resolution condemning-
Ms. Balint (03:55:50):
Oh, oh. Do you want to go there, attorney general?
Mr. Chairman (03:55:54):
Time belongs to the-
Ms. Balint (03:55:55):
Do you want to go there? Are you serious?
Mr. Chairman (03:55:58):
Time belongs to the gentleman from South Carolina.
Ms. Balint (03:56:00):
Talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost hergrandfather in the Holocaust. Really? Really?
Mr. Chairman (03:56:05):
The committee will be in order.
Mr. Raskin, Ranking Member (03:56:07):
Talk to Jared Wise about antisemitism.
Mr. Chairman (03:56:10):
The ranking member knows that-
Mr. Fry (03:56:12):
Can I get like 30 seconds back [inaudible 03:56:14].
Mr. Chairman (03:56:14):
I think the whole committee knows I've been very generousmaking sure everyone gets their five minutes in the [inaudible 03:56:20].
Mr. Fry (03:56:19):
Attorney general, I'm going to talk about sanctuary citiesfor a second, which limit the federal government's ability to enforceimmigration law. They're kind of a new thing that Democrat jurisdictions aredoing. They're in violation of federal law. During President Trump's first termhe rightly targeted sanctuary jurisdictions to try to force them to cooperatewith federal immigration law. Federal immigration law, mind you, that was votedon in 1996 most recently, in a bipartisan Congress, signed by a Democratpresident, but they are in violation of that law. These states andjurisdictions feel entitled to certain grants, of course. Y'all are combatingthat. Do sanctuary policies limit the federal government's ability toaccurately estimate how many criminal legals are in the country?
Attorney General Bondi (03:57:10):
Yes.
Mr. Fry (03:57:11):
Thank you. This means that the number of legals could behigher, probably higher. Does this hurt the federal government's ability tocarry out immigration laws designed by Congress?
Attorney General Bondi (03:57:21):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Fry (03:57:23):
In your opinion, do you believe that the Biden-Harrisadministration and Democrat pro sanctuary policies make our communities saferand for the American taxpayer? Do sanctuary policies make our communitiessafer?
Attorney General Bondi (03:57:38):
No, congressmen.
Mr. Fry (03:57:40):
I want to do a brief video to highlight sanctuary cities.So what's strange to me, if you look at this board behind me, in New York,there are 7,000 criminal illegal aliens since January 20th of last year thathave been released into the public, because New York is not honoring detainersrequested by ICE. California similarly has released 4,500 criminal illegalaliens. There are 33,000 under detainer in California alone. And of the peoplereleased, I think it's remarkable that those released in New York, 29homicides, 2,500 assaults, almost 200 burglaries. These are people that arereleased into our community by these states that refuse to cooperate. LastAugust, Michael Jordan Castellano Fonseca, a criminal illegal alien with tiesto Trendeauga shot two people in front of five children in the sanctuary stateof Colorado. DHS lodged a detainer on him. He's awaiting trial, but thequestion is whether Colorado sanctuary policies will prevent him from beingremoved from the country.
(03:59:14):
Yes or no, do you think that sanctuary jurisdictions, ifthey cooperated with ICE, those illegals in custody could be transferred to ICEproperly instead of being held in taxpayer funded jails and then released intoour community?
Attorney General Bondi (03:59:27):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Fry (03:59:29):
Wouldn't it be more efficient and safer then if Democratssimply cooperated with the federal government, these sanctuary jurisdictionscooperated with the federal government and honored ICE detainers? And why? Whydo you think?
Attorney General Bondi (03:59:41):
Of course, because so many criminals are running tosanctuary jurisdictions. Many of your colleagues across the aisle who we'veseen speaking today about Epstein don't want to talk about the illegalcriminals in their own jurisdiction for that reason. And yes, we need to doeverything we can to work together to make America safer and they're not doingthat.
Mr. Fry (04:00:03):
This is not a partisan issue.
Attorney General Bondi (04:00:04):
They're deflecting.
Mr. Fry (04:00:05):
People want to feel safe in their communities. Nobodywants a criminal illegal alien released into the street. I think that the thingthat maybe the American people don't quite understand is that when you do nothonor a detainer, as we've seen, an illegal is released into the public and nowit's up to ICE to maybe apprehend them, rather than behind the courtroompassing them off from one law enforcement to the next. Is that true?
Attorney General Bondi (04:00:29):
Absolutely.
Mr. Fry (04:00:30):
What do you think, what is the Department of Justice doingright now to combat sanctuary policies in our country?
Attorney General Bondi (04:00:39):
We're doing everything in our power, obviously, to combatthat Donald Trump is doing everything he can, because we are going to makeAmerica safe. We are going to get illegal criminal aliens out of this country.We're going to get the gangs out, TDA, MS-13, all of the gangs in this country.We're going to get the drug dealers out and the drugs, and that's what we'vebeen fighting to do. And I wish we could do it on a bipartisan basis, but theyjust can't do it.
Mr. Fry (04:01:01):
And the decrease in numbers speak for themselves. Thankyou for your work. Gentleman's time-
Mr. Raskin, Ranking Member (04:01:05):
Mr. Chairman, we have some UCs if that's okay.
Mr. Chairman (04:01:06):
That is okay.
Mr. Raskin, Ranking Member (04:01:07):
Okay. Mr. Cohen.
Mr. Cohan (04:01:09):
Thank you. You see on the National Institute of Justice'sstudy on undocumented immigrants having an offender rate lower than US-borncitizens. I'd like to enter this in the record from 2024.
Mr. Chairman (04:01:21):
Without objection.
Mr. Raskin, Ranking Member (04:01:22):
And I have several myself, Mr. Chairman. The guardian,January 26, 2026, why is Trump granting clemency to convicted fraudsters?
Mr. Chairman (04:01:32):
No objection.
Mr. Raskin, Ranking Member (04:01:32):
January 20, 2026, NBC, Trump's pardons forgive financialcrimes that came with hundreds of millions of dollars in punishment.
Mr. Chairman (04:01:39):
No objection.
Mr. Raskin, Ranking Member (04:01:40):
Washington Post December 19, 2025. Trump's pardons wipeout payments to defrauded victims.
Mr. Chairman (04:01:45):
Without objection.
Mr. Raskin, Ranking Member (04:01:46):
And finally, May 30th, 2024, Trump found guilty byManhattan jury on 34 felony counts of fraud.
Mr. Chairman (04:01:54):
Without objection, gentlemen from Illinois is recognized.
Mr. Garcia (04:01:56):
Thank you, chairman. Attorney General Bondi, glad youfinally made it here after hiding for four months from this committee. Iunderstand-
Attorney General Bondi (04:02:03):
Whoa, I thought you were-
Mr. Garcia (04:02:04):
... Why you're hiding from us.
Attorney General Bondi (04:02:04):
... Hiding, chairman?
Mr. Garcia (04:02:06):
You're one of the worst attorney generals in our historyand an instrument of Donald Trump's lawless authoritarian agenda. And I'm gladthe American people are seeing who you are, how you act, and the lack of goodvalues. You weaponize the Department of Justice to target immigrants, workingfamilies, and anyone that Trump deems an enemy of the state, all to protectreal, powerful criminals, including in your administration. Democraticcolleagues have focused on your coverup of the Epstein files and your passionfor protecting pedophiles and child traffickers. That alone is grounds forimpeachment, but there's so much more to your corrupt tenure as attorneygeneral. You directed prosecutors to investigate elected officials in welcomingjurisdictions, and you got thrown out of court when you sued Chicago, CookCounty, and Illinois. You directed prosecutors to prioritize low levelimmigration cases while gutting enforcement against corporate criminals andpublic corruption. You revived draconian law-
Attorney General Bondi (04:03:17):
You're talking about public correction, hey? Whoa.
Mr. Garcia (04:03:20):
... Of 1798, which should be repealed to illegally sendpeople to a torture prison in El Salvador. You fired over a 100 immigrationjudges, including the assistant chief immigration judge in Chicago, withoutcause, and installed unqualified military judges whom you instructed to denyasylum in violation of the law. You prosecute the president's enemies like JimComey and Tish James while giving impunity to federal agents who are murderingand brutalizing and terrorizing constituents, including in Chicago land, in myneighborhood. I saw it last year firsthand. You and Cash Patel covered up themurder of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez. In my district by ICE agents, you triedto investigate Renee Goode instead of the ICE agent who murdered her and youtried to cover up the murder of Alex Pirette by CBP agents. You bring fakecharges against protestors like the Broadview Six and Marimar Martinez, whomyour administration labeled a domestic terrorist.
(04:04:34):
This is the Montessori teacher, who lives in my district,while protecting thugs who terrorize us and DHS authority. That's what you do,protect and enable the criminals who are plundering our society and destroyingwhat's left of democracy and the rule of law. Epstein accomplices, mass DHSthugs, corporate criminals, Tom Holman, Eric Adams, insurrectionists. The listgoes on. And you talk about fighting crime, but you protect any criminal whohelps you and Trump turn our country into an authoritarian gangster state. Andafter all this, nobody supports you. I'm not talking about Democrats. I'mtalking about conservative judges, who are condemning the rampant lawlessnessat DOJ, under your leadership. Your prosecutors are quitting in droves overbeing forced to prosecute low level immigration cases, including in Chicagoland. Your MAGA base despises you, because you're covering up the Epstein File.How ironic. And even your own boss has repeatedly complained to your staffabout you, calling you weak and ineffective, weak and ineffective.
(04:05:54):
That's what Donald Trump thinks of you already. You willnot win however. Chicago land rejects you. The American people reject you. Ourcommunities have demonstrated our strength and resilience in the face ofcruelty and cowardice. Democrats must impeach and remove lawless officials likeyou and [inaudible 04:06:18] and impose accountability for every criminalaction. But you can spare yourself more humiliation. Resign now and submityourself to accountability by the American people. Mr. Chairman, before I yieldback, I ask unanimous consent to submit for the record this Wall Street Journalarticle, dated January 12th, 2026, and titled, Trump has complained about PamBondi repeatedly to AIDS. Thank you and I yield back.
Mr. Chairman (04:06:51):
No objection. Gentleman yields back. The gentleman fromTexas is recognized.
Mr. Roy (04:06:56):
Thank you, chairman.
Attorney General Bondi (04:06:57):
May I have 20 seconds, please?
Mr. Roy (04:06:59):
Yes, ma'am.
Attorney General Bondi (04:06:59):
Thank you.
Mr. Garcia (04:07:00):
Let's hear the opposition research.
Attorney General Bondi (04:07:02):
Thank you. That's absolutely right, that they're notrunning for... He's not running for office again, because... Well, I don't knowwhy you're not running for office again, but after the filing deadline, afterthe filing deadline, you publicly announced you would not run when your chiefof staff, Patty Garcia, announced and took your seat. I believe-
Mr. Garcia (04:07:25):
It's a state matter that isn't a federal matter, youshould investigate crimes. You should investigate.
Mr. Chairman (04:07:33):
The time belongs to the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. Roy (04:07:35):
And a little flexibility on the time. I appreciate thechairman. Madam Attorney General, am I correct that under your leadership, theDepartment of Justice has prosecuted cases of non-citizen voting. So it's falseas some of my Democratic colleagues have claimed, that it doesn't happen.
Attorney General Bondi (04:07:49):
Yes.
Mr. Roy (04:07:50):
I ask that today, because we're voting on the Save AmericaAct today to enact common sense policies to ensure only American citizens votein American elections and enact federal voter ID laws. But it's true, forexample, that in just this month, a federal grand jury in Newark indicted twomen with a legally voting and federal election and making false statements.Mohamed Bazamble and Muhammad Shaquille were non-citizens at the time they'veregistered to vote. This happens, it happens regularly and you're prosecutingthose crimes, correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:08:15):
Yes.
Mr. Roy (04:08:16):
But does that prosecution of those criminals overturntheir previously cast votes?
Attorney General Bondi (04:08:22):
That's all pending.
Mr. Roy (04:08:23):
But it does not overturn votes that they've cast, right?So passing the Save America Act-
Attorney General Bondi (04:08:27):
Oh, no congressmen.
Mr. Roy (04:08:28):
... Would help deal with that problem.
Attorney General Bondi (04:08:30):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Roy (04:08:31):
Second question. As attorney general, you're in charge ofthe Executive Office of Immigration Review, correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:08:35):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Roy (04:08:36):
The Biden [inaudible 04:08:37] regime caused theimmigration court case backlog to explode, correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:08:40):
Explode.
Mr. Roy (04:08:41):
Does that sound about right that in September of 2020,four months before President Biden took office, there was a backlog of 1.5million cases, but by the time President Biden left office, the backlog reachednearly 4.2 million cases?
Attorney General Bondi (04:08:53):
It sounds about right, but I don't have the exact numbers.
Mr. Roy (04:08:55):
It would be accurate to say that most individuals who filefor asylum have a meritless or fraudulent claim?
Attorney General Bondi (04:09:02):
Most. I don't have the numbers.
Mr. Roy (04:09:04):
Oh, so does it sound correct that if the asylum case isadjudicated in FY 2023 under the Biden regime, that only 14% resulted in anasylum grant and only 12% in fiscal year 2024? Does that sound correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:09:15):
It sounds correct. I'm sorry, I don't have the numbers.
Mr. Roy (04:09:17):
Could you get that information to us to verify that data?
Attorney General Bondi (04:09:20):
Yes, absolutely. I'll get all that information to you.
Mr. Roy (04:09:22):
Under the Trump administration, immigration judgescomplete an average of 65,000 cases per month, the highest average completionrate in at least a decade. Does that sound correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:09:30):
That sounds correct.
Mr. Roy (04:09:32):
Ms. Bondi, how many new cases under EOIR received infiscal year 2025 have you all had, and of those, what percentage have beengranted asylum? Do you know?
Attorney General Bondi (04:09:43):
I can try to get you those numbers. I thought I had those.
Mr. Roy (04:09:44):
That'd be great, because my question is whether PresidentTrump's decision to pause asylum in the wake of the shooting of a nationalguardsman by an Afghani here in Washington DC and the nation's Capitol helpedto stop the backlog in your office. Does that sound correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:09:56):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Roy (04:09:57):
My point being that the leadership of this administrationis ending the backlog, reducing the backlog, making sure that we don't havefraudulent asylum claims, clogging it, and keeping Americans safe. Is thatcorrect?
Attorney General Bondi (04:10:07):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Roy (04:10:08):
So a couple other quick questions on another importanttopic that has been raised by colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Withrespect to the Epstein case, a few questions. One, Jeffrey Epstein was chargedin July 2019 for sex trafficking under the Trump administration in his firstterm. Is that correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:10:24):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Roy (04:10:25):
And that Ghislaine Maxwell was charged in 2020, also underthe Trump administration, correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:10:31):
Yes, congressman.
Mr. Roy (04:10:32):
So it is safe to say that the administration led on thatissue and that there was silence in the previous administration. Is thatcorrect?
Attorney General Bondi (04:10:39):
Yes, congressman. Almost complete silence from everyonewho's been trying to still talk about Epstein. They didn't say a word under theBiden administration. Nothing.
Mr. Roy (04:10:47):
And I want to make one other point and then anotherquestion though, that is important. I want to make one observation, that isthat we've heard the information today, which is troubling, that Jane Doe's,that victim's information was made public and was unredacted in the files thatwere released on Friday. So my question is, some of us had argued when we weredealing with the discharge petition in Congress, that when Congress inserteditself into the process, that we needed to be very careful to ensure that wewere protecting victims. So a question that is both... I just want to make thatclear, that some of us were fighting for that here and we didn't get a chanceto amend it or change it. So that was concerning. But a question a little morepointed, I have to say, is why though were the victim's names released thatshouldn't have been, that there were names in the files that these Jane Does,that their names shouldn't have been made public when there were some accuserswhose names were redacted?
(04:11:42):
That's question one. And question two, was that GhislaineMaxwell was put in jail for trafficking minors. Rightly so, and you properlysaid here at this table, you hope she dies in jail. Well, I want to know, willanyone besides her or Epstein, which I congratulate President Trump's previousadministration and this Department of Justice for continuing all of that, butthat they were indicted, but will anyone else be indicted and prosecuted underthis, given the information that's in front of us? So two questions.
Attorney General Bondi (04:12:10):
Thank you for letting me answer that. They didn't want tohear my answer on the other side. Yes, given the tight timeframe of 30 days, Ibelieve we got everything released within a little over 60 days. I'm talking asfast as I can. My time is up. We did the best we could immediately. Ifeveryone's been coming to view the documents, if someone's name should not havebeen redacted, we're releasing it. If someone's name was redacted, we saidright away, was not redacted and should have been meaning a victim. We wentback and redacted it. We're doing everything we can based on the tighttimeframe and over three million pages that we released, that Donald Trumpsigned for pure transparency. Second, what was your second question?
Mr. Roy (04:12:54):
About whether another individual will be indicted in theprocess?
Attorney General Bondi (04:12:57):
Oh, thank you for asking that. And they never wanted tohear the answer to that. We have pending investigations in our office.
Mr. Chairman (04:13:08):
Time, the gentleman has expired. Unanimous consent requestfrom the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
Speaker 22 (04:13:13):
Thank you. I have several UCs [inaudible 04:13:18]. I'dlike to have unanimous consent to introduce the National Security PresidentialMemorandum Seven, dated September 25th, 25.
Mr. Chairman (04:13:25):
No objection.
Speaker 22 (04:13:26):
The Bondi Department of Justice memo, dated December 4th,2025.
Mr. Chairman (04:13:31):
No objection.
Speaker 22 (04:13:33):
An article from Newsweek entitled DOJ Delete Study,alleging rise in far right terrorism, dated September 18th, 2025.
Mr. Chairman (04:13:41):
Without objection.
Speaker 22 (04:13:42):
Notice article from October 3rd, 2025, Trump's directiveon organized political violence could lead to increased surveillance of hiscritics.
Mr. Chairman (04:13:50):
Without objection.
Speaker 22 (04:13:51):
Washington Post article, September 25th, 2025, Trumptargets domestic terrorists, but only mentions the radical left.
Mr. Chairman (04:13:59):
Without objection.
Speaker 22 (04:14:00):
Idaho Capital Sun, October 18th, 2025. Rest easy,Idahoans, the No King demonstrators are American Patriots.
Mr. Chairman (04:14:09):
Without objection.
Speaker 22 (04:14:10):
Attacks on freedom of speech, what nonprofits need toknow, published by the National Council of Nonprofits, the largest network ofnonprofits in America.
Mr. Chairman (04:14:18):
Without objection.
Speaker 22 (04:14:19):
The freedom from religious foundation warns that Bondimemo weaponizes federal law enforcement against non-Christians and dissentingviewpoints.
Mr. Chairman (04:14:27):
No objection.
Speaker 22 (04:14:28):
A Ken Klipperstein blog from January 28th, '26, ISISsecret watch lists of Americans.
Mr. Chairman (04:14:35):
Without objection.
Speaker 22 (04:14:36):
And an intercept article from February 2nd, 26, Trumpcalls his enemies terrorists. Does that mean he can kill them?
Mr. Chairman (04:14:43):
Without objection.
Speaker 22 (04:14:44):
Thank you.
Mr. Chairman (04:14:44):
The gentleman from Florida is recognized.
Mr. Moskowitz (04:14:47):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, Attorney GeneralBondi.
Attorney General Bondi (04:14:51):
Good afternoon.
Mr. Moskowitz (04:14:52):
Oh, you're right. Good afternoon. It's been a long day. Iwrote this this morning. We've known each other a long time. And I'll always beappreciative for your assistance when you were attorney general in Floridaafter the shooting at my high school at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas in myhometown of Parkland when we passed the bipartisan bill, the Marjori StonemanDouglas School Safety Act, which was the largest policy response to a schoolshooting in American history. Your department also prosecuted to the fullestextent of the law, constituent of mine and former felon that had plans to killme when he was picked up by law enforcement after he was target practicing inhis backyard with two rifles, a scope, a silencer, 3,000 rounds of ammunitionand anti-Semitic manifesto. My name was the only name on their target list andmy kids found out about this from their friends at school. So thank you.
(04:15:42):
However, the most transparent administration in Americanhistory. Before Trump, we didn't know the word transparency apparently. It'sbeen 12 months since you gave Republican influencers part one of the Epsteinfiles. You said the list was on your desk. Then a memo came out and said thatthere was no list. Phase two of
Congressman Jared Moskowitz (04:16:00):
... the binders never happen. The President of the UnitedStates says the Epstein thing is a hoax. He blasts his own base for wanting therelease of the files. He blamed Barack Obama. Republicans voted against therelease of the files in the Rules Committee. Then they refused to even returnto the Rules Committee until they could be protected from future votes on therelease.
(04:16:18):
Speaker Johnson sends Congress home a day early beforebreak. They sent the Deputy Attorney General to meet with Maxwell. She sayssomething favorable about the president. Miraculously, she gets transferred toa minimum security facility. No one can explain why. Miraculously, the leaks tothe Wall Street Journal stop.
(04:16:35):
We come back from break. We have the Massie dischargepetition. Republicans drop a rule, a non-binding resolution trying to kill theMassie discharge petition. The White House says, "Passing the Massiedischarge petition is a hostile act."
(04:16:48):
Trying to stop the necessary 218 signatures, according toRepublican members that signed it, the White House brought them into theSituation Room. You know the place where the president goes for time of war.Promising things like appropriations or maybe even to primary them, people inthe room say you were there.
(04:17:03):
It didn't work. We get the 218 signatures. We eventuallypassed the Massie petition. You guys didn't release the files. You were forcedby Congress. Every member of the House, except one, and the entire Senate. Thereason the President signed it is because it was a veto proof majority. Wecan't agree on anything, and yet, the entire House but one member and the wholeSenate forced the administration to release the files. Kash Patel under oathsaid to Senator Kennedy, "The FBI is not in possession of any credibleevidence that Epstein trafficked girls to anyone but himself." We know nowthat's not true. According to documents, Epstein had a worldwide sextrafficking ring. Girls from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Paris, modelingagencies sending him girls. He even had a relationship with a summer camp wherehe groomed girls at a picnic table.
(04:17:53):
Ghislaine Maxwell says 29 Epstein associates cut secretDOJ deals. Turns out there is a list. Six names readily available if youunredact them. Co-conspirators named, but we got them when you unredact them.Maxwell recently tells a House oversight committee that she wants clemency torelease more names.
(04:18:10):
Kash Patel under oath said, "Trump's name appearsless than 100 times in the files. We now know that's not true. Trump's nameappears more times in the Epstein files than God's name appears in the bookabout God. Okay. By the way, this is the Trump Bible. Move over King James.
(04:18:25):
Trump's name also appears more times in the Epstein filethan Harry Potter's name appears in the seven books about Harry Potter. Lutnicksays that in 2008, he went to Epstein's home, says, "He had a massagetable in the living room." But Epstein said he got one every day, that itwas, "The right type of massage."
(04:18:40):
He and his wife decide to leave and say they'll never bein a room with him again. Howard then says, "I'm sure the Epstein stuff isall on video. He was the greatest black mailer of all time." Well, howwould Howard know that?
(04:18:52):
But now, the fires are public. And in 2012, we found outthat he and his family are on Epstein Island after, after, after Epstein pledguilty to state charges. I'm from Florida. I take my family to Disney World,not to Epstein Island.
(04:19:07):
There are documents in the files that dispute thePresident's claim that he kicked Epstein out of his club. Allegedly, thePresident said that he asked Epstein to leave. That's disputed though bystatements from the manager of the club.
(04:19:21):
Now, Madam Attorney General, I have 25 seconds left. So,because I'm curious, and I'd like to see, flip to the Jared Moskowitz sectionof the binder. I'm interested to see what staff provided on the oppo on me, andbecause we're in the Olympics, I'm going to give it a grade. I just want to seehow good it is. So give me your best one.
Attorney General Bondi (04:19:41):
So first of all, nothing is funny about mocking the Bibleand holding up a Trump Bible. That's what you did. You made a joke and I findoffense to that. That's all I have to say.
Congressman Jared Moskowitz (04:19:51):
I want it from the burned book.
Attorney General Bondi (04:19:51):
Shame.
Congressman Jared Moskowitz (04:19:52):
I want it from the burned book, which is the best one.What you got?
Congressman Baumgartner (04:19:55):
It has expired. The gentleman from Wisconsin'srecognition.
Congressman Grothman (04:19:59):
Thank you. First of all, I'd like to clear something upthat was said earlier and as frequently said, and is manifestly not true. Andthat is the supposed small number of crimes committed by immigrants or illegalimmigrants in the country. That has been based on a poorly done study by theCato Institute, and I believe the Cato Institute itself has even updated thatstudy. The reason that we know that study is not true is that those statisticsare not out there.
(04:20:34):
For whatever reason, when somebody is arrested, even forvery serious crimes, we do not have on the paperwork whether that person is alegal or illegal immigrant. Okay? If I go to one of my local sheriffs inWisconsin and ask them, "How many illegal immigrants in your jail?"They will say, "I have no idea." We don't keep track of that."
(04:20:58):
When I tour the federal prison right outside of mydistrict that I ask them, "In this federal prison, how many of yourinmates are illegal aliens?" They will tell me, "We have no idea. Wedon't keep track of that." So whenever you hear a Democrat or anybody, ora pundit say that, "Oh, there's so few illegals committing crimes,"it is based on nothing because those statistics are not available anywhere.
(04:21:27):
What I would offer in the next round of appropriationbills, if one of my Democrat colleagues wants to help me out, perhapsinappropriations we can get funds to add to all the paperwork whenever anybodyis convicted of crime, as to whether or not they are citizen or non-citizen,and then we will have the statistics. But otherwise, whenever you hear somebodysay on MSNBC or wherever, "Oh, so few crimes are committed by illegalimmigrants," they don't know what they're talking about 'cause nobody hasthose numbers. Okay, there's the first thing.
(04:22:05):
Now, the next thing I want to point out, we have had whatI think is an unprecedented situation in Minnesota in which they are notassisting ICE in dealing with crimes that are going on up there. In otherwords, ICE is left to its own devices. When I talk to my local sheriffs, theytell me that whenever a federal agency is engaged in work in Wisconsin, theyalways make themselves available in case that federal agency needs assistance.
(04:22:46):
This could be something like ICE under DI. It could bedrug enforcement, it could be ATF, it could be FBI, it could be Secret Service,it could be the US Marshal. Nobody that I have been able to find, any sheriffin the state of Wisconsin, is aware of any circumstances in which they did notmake themselves available to federal law enforcement, either if they needsomebody extra to do surveillance, to just park a marked car outside the area,to assist in apprehension of a criminal.
(04:23:25):
If they need assistance with an additional SWAT team, ifthey need to transport somebody, local law enforcement is always there. Now,you are not in charge of ICE, but you're in charge of several other agencies.Have you ever heard of anything like what's going on in Minnesota, where thegovernor or the local mayor refuses to give assistance to federal lawenforcement?
Attorney General Bondi (04:23:53):
I have in Portland and some other cities where theyweren't cooperating, but as I said, I did spend four days in Minnesota, and Ibelieve many of the local law enforcement wish they could work with us to maketheir city safe.
Congressman Grothman (04:24:11):
Okay. Now, we'll switch to something else. And first ofall, I'd like to thank you for doing this today. You're obviously very bright,obviously very confident. And something I love, you tolerate fools gladly, so Iappreciate that trait. You suffer fools gladly. In hearings like this, we oftenfocus on new initiatives undertaken by the department.
(04:24:34):
Today, I'd like to give you an opportunity to discussactions implemented under the Biden Administration's Department of Justice,such as the Foreign Influence Task Force that you have since terminated. Andit's always rare to see anything in the government terminated, but could youelaborate on those decisions and highlight the accomplishments of your tenureat Justice?
Attorney General Bondi (04:24:59):
Thank you for asking that. We are out of time, but may Ianswer, Chairman?
Congressman Baumgartner (04:25:04):
Yeah, go right ahead.
Attorney General Bondi (04:25:04):
Thank you. Thank you. The Biden administration weaponizedthe Foreign Corruption Practices Act, and on February 10th, President Trumpissued an executive order pausing that for a DOJ review.
(04:25:19):
Under Deputy Attorney General Blanche's supervision, acomprehensive review was led and the department issued new guidelines,protecting all Americans and protecting against the weaponization that happenedunder the Biden administration.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:25:38):
Time of the gentleman has expired. Gentlemen yields back.Gentlemen from New York is recognized.
Congressman Goldman (04:25:41):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Bondi, I went over to thedepartment yesterday for a couple of hours to review some of the unredactedmaterials. And I am looking forward to your detailed explanation for why youhave withheld almost half of the documents, which is required by the bill.
(04:25:58):
Now, obviously there are three million documents, so Ididn't get through much, but one thing I didn't see was the client list thatyou said you had on your desk a year ago. I did, however, find a couple ofimportant documents, an 86-page prosecution memo from the Southern District ofNew York and a draft indictment from Florida against Jeffrey Epstein'sco-conspirators.
(04:26:24):
For reasons that I cannot understand, nor are permitted bythe bill, they were still redacted even for members of Congress. So Ms. Bondi,will you commit right here to immediately providing those two documents inunredacted form to members of Congress? Not a complicated question.
Attorney General Bondi (04:26:49):
Well, I guess it is for you because you have a law degreeand those are privileged.
Congressman Goldman (04:26:54):
Okay. They're not privileged, but we will discuss thatlater. I also found an email that I have right here from Jeffrey Epstein toGhislaine Maxwell that was unredacted, and it included notes of statements thatDonald Trump made about his prior relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
(04:27:15):
Now, there is no reason for this to be hidden from theAmerican people. There is no privilege, there is no attorney-client privilege,and I see you're checking with your staff, and I can assure you staff, this isnot under attorney-client privilege because it was sent from Jeffrey Epstein toGhislaine Maxwell.
(04:27:33):
Will you commit to publicly providing the unredactedversion of this so that the American people can understand the extent of DonaldTrump's lies about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
Attorney General Bondi (04:27:46):
You're about as good of a lawyer today as you were whenyou tried to impeach President Trump in 2016. Have you apologized for that in2019? Will you apologize for that?
Congressman Goldman (04:27:53):
So, will you unredact this? Will you unredact this?
Attorney General Bondi (04:27:57):
You were lead counsel on that. Privileged.
Congressman Goldman (04:27:59):
I'm asking you, will you unredact this?
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:00):
Privileged.
Congressman Goldman (04:28:02):
Privileged, of course. I look forward to discussing thismore. Now, these are obviously improper redactions.
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:10):
And let me stop for a minute.
Congressman Goldman (04:28:12):
I'm talking.
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:12):
No, no.
Congressman Goldman (04:28:12):
I'm talking.
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:13):
Mr. Not Privileged.
Congressman Goldman (04:28:14):
Quiet.
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:14):
Don't yell at me. If they're not-
Congressman Knott (04:28:15):
Mr. Chairman, would you stop the clock? This is on yourtime. It's not on Mr. Goldman.
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:18):
[inaudible 04:28:19] they're not privileged?
Congressman Goldman (04:28:19):
Even though you used your improper redactions.
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:22):
You'll like my answer. If we review them and they're notprivileged-
Congressman Baumgartner (04:28:25):
Time belongs to the member.
Attorney General Bondi (04:28:27):
I'll be happy to release them after reviewing them.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:28:28):
And we'll stop the clock. We'll stop the clock. Timebelongs to the member. Go ahead.
Congressman Goldman (04:28:33):
Even though you used improper redactions to protect DonaldTrump and other predators associated with Jeffrey Epstein, you did the exactopposite thing with the survivors and victims of this scheme.
(04:28:46):
So, their identification information was really the onlything required to be redacted, and it was not. And it's clear this was not amistake. This was not by accident. This was not because you only had 30 dayswhen you really used 75, and that doesn't even include all the hours last Marchthat you were redacting it.
(04:29:06):
But I'll tell you why it's clear it wasn't a mistake.There is an email entitled Epstein Victim List. There are 32 names. One isredacted. 31 are not. So someone looked at it and decided to redact something.And I will tell you that that is clearly intentional to intimidate thesesurvivors and victims. Now, in a interview last week-
Attorney General Bondi (04:29:35):
How will you tell me that's intentional?
Congressman Goldman (04:29:38):
In an interview last week, Deputy Attorney General ToddBlanche-
Attorney General Bondi (04:29:42):
You can't go off script.
Congressman Goldman (04:29:43):
... said that, "Any victim that wants to speak withthe department has done so, hopefully." Well, thanks to the incrediblybrave people sitting here behind you, we can actually ask them if that's true.Now, with the survivors and victims who are here, please stand up one moretime. Just by show of hands, how many of you or your loved ones actually havemet with the Department of Justice and provided testimony and evidence? None.
(04:30:14):
And of those of you who have not met, which is everyone,how many of you have reached out either individually or through a lawyer orrepresentative to offer to provide testimony and evidence? All of them. And ofthose of you, all of you who have reached out, how many of you were denied orignored by the Department of Justice? All of them.
(04:30:41):
And despite the shameful and despicable efforts by Ms.Bondi and her department to intimidate you, how many of you are still willingto speak to the Department of Justice? All of them. Well, Ms. Bondi, it lookslike you have some more witnesses to talk to.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:30:56):
The gentleman's time has expired.
Congressman Goldman (04:30:57):
And I yield back.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:30:58):
We will go to the good gentleman from North Carolina,Congressman Knott. Thank
Attorney General Bondi (04:31:02):
You. May I have a moment, Congressman?
Congressman Knott (04:31:03):
Yes, ma'am.
Attorney General Bondi (04:31:04):
Thank you. Here we go. Here's the photograph. This is whyhe wanted to repeat everything that had been said previously on Epstein. Thisis his state, New York. You probably don't even know who this is. WahidMohammed from Afghanistan.
Congressman Goldman (04:31:22):
Yes, 'cause I'm no longer a prosecutor.
Attorney General Bondi (04:31:24):
Convicted of assault. Wow. He represents New York. Wow.Yet, he doesn't care about the illegal aliens convicted of crimes. Assault andhomicide. No longer a prosecutor, so he doesn't care about his constituents.Here we go. Arson, El Salvador, Miguel Palacios. Ferman Flores Ramales, Mexico,rape.
Congressman Goldman (04:31:53):
Let's talk about the 70% of immigrants who are detainedwithout a criminal conviction or arrest.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:31:58):
Stop the clock. Stop the clock. The time belongs toCongressman Knight.
Congressman Knott (04:32:01):
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Madam Attorney General, I want to besure that the American people understand exactly what we're referring to whenwe talk about sanctuary policies. They are often framed in sort of innocuousterms like, "We refuse to take part in immigration law."
(04:32:16):
And when you add up all of the population represented bythese cowardly politicians in sanctuary jurisdictions, whether it's a county,city, or state, sanctuary jurisdictions account for roughly 40% of the UnitedStates. Now, in reality, it's much more than just a passive exercise. Is thatnot correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:32:36):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:32:37):
It's unbelievably active. And in terms of breaking downthese terms, I want to break it down as clearly a term as I can. What is afederal detainer for the American people? Please describe it.
Attorney General Bondi (04:32:48):
A federal detainer is when someone is held in federalcustody.
Congressman Knott (04:32:53):
Yes. And when a federal detainer is issued to local lawenforcement, they are obviously in local or state custody, correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:33:01):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:33:02):
And federal officers take note of that apprehension andthey say, "We want to come and apprehend him or her to deport them."Isn't that correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:33:11):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:33:12):
And in these sanctuary jurisdictions, whether it'sCalifornia, Illinois, New York, or other places, even in North Carolina, thereare sanctuary jurisdictions. That federal detainer often prompts not anycooperation, not any assistance, but a release onto the streets. Isn't thatcorrect?
Attorney General Bondi (04:33:30):
Yeah. And Congressman, a federal detainer is federal lawthat people must abide by, yet these jurisdictions, many of these jurisdictionsare not abiding by that.
Congressman Knott (04:33:40):
And we hear a lot of talk from the other side aboutvictims, about victims of violent crimes, sex crimes, murders, whatever it maybe. But I want to be very clear, illegal aliens who have been arrested forcommitting some of the most heinous crimes, they have been released bysanctuary cities, by sanctuary states, rather than being turned over to thefederal government for deportation. Isn't that correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:34:04):
It is. And it's sad for all Americans that anyjurisdiction would do that. These are some of the most violent criminals Ithink we've all seen.
Congressman Knott (04:34:13):
Yes. And despite their best efforts to obstruct you andthe President in making us all safer, I just want to go through a quick listagain of the accomplishments that you have been in part responsible forachieving. True or false, the country now has the lowest murder rate in 125years?
Attorney General Bondi (04:34:31):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:34:32):
True or false, 62 major cities are now reporting rapiddecline in murder rates.
Attorney General Bondi (04:34:38):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:34:38):
True or false, robberies are down nearly 20% over the lastyear?
Attorney General Bondi (04:34:43):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:34:44):
True or false, violent crime is down almost 15% over thepast year?
Attorney General Bondi (04:34:49):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:34:49):
True or false right here in Washington D.C., violent crimeis down almost 30% since President Trump took office?
Attorney General Bondi (04:34:57):
Yes. And the number may be even better than that, but yes.
Congressman Knott (04:35:00):
Good.
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:00):
Yes.
Congressman Knott (04:35:01):
True or false, the DEA has seized over 200,000 kilogramsof cocaine since President Trump took office?
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:14):
Okay. I believe so. Hold on. 78,500 kilos of meth and morethan 260,000 kilos of cocaine.
Congressman Knott (04:35:21):
Unbelievable.
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:22):
That's live saved.
Congressman Knott (04:35:23):
Unbelievable.
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:23):
Every day for all of us.
Congressman Knott (04:35:24):
Absolutely.
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:24):
For families, fo children.
Congressman Knott (04:35:26):
And then true or false, the Department of Justice underyour leadership has a 92% success rate at the Supreme Court?
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:33):
I believe so.
Congressman Knott (04:35:34):
Or ballpark?
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:35):
Ballpark.
Congressman Knott (04:35:36):
And then true or false, this administration is attackingthe waste, fraud and abuse that we have seen in places like Minnesota that isremoving billions of hard-earned tax dollars from this country?
Attorney General Bondi (04:35:47):
Absolutely. And President Trump is committed to doing thatin every city in this country.
Congressman Knott (04:35:52):
And Madam Attorney General, just to be very brief here, Iwant to be sure that you know that many on this committee made very seriousefforts to try to amend the Epstein petition, to give you the resources and thetime to protect victims, to go through and to have the necessary runway tothoroughly go through that file. Unfortunately, those requests were met withrefusal and we were unable to make the necessary amendments. But thank you forbeing here today.
Congressman Goldman (04:36:19):
Thank you.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:36:20):
The good gentleman yields back. We turn to the good ladyfrom California, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:36:27):
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you, Attorney General, forbeing here today. I want to talk with you about an issue on which there isbroad bipartisan agreement, the importance of ensuring trust between theAmerican public and those government officials who wield powerful lawenforcement responsibilities. So Attorney General, would you agree that it isimportant for law enforcement leaders to be honest?
Attorney General Bondi (04:36:57):
Of course, as well as members of Congress.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:36:59):
Thank you. And would you include yourself as a lawenforcement leader?
Attorney General Bondi (04:37:05):
Of course.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:37:06):
Okay. Thank you. Thank you. President Trump has also,well, he has referred to himself as the, "Chief law enforcement officer ofthis country." So do you believe that President Trump is honest?
Attorney General Bondi (04:37:22):
He is the commander-in-chief of the United States ofAmerica. And not only is he keeping this country safe. He is keeping this worldsafe.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:37:32):
It's a simple question.
Attorney General Bondi (04:37:33):
Of course I do. He is the commander-in-chief.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:37:36):
Last June, Minnesota lawmaker, Melissa Hortman, herhusband, Mark, and their dog, were brutally murdered in their home. And yourUSA's office in Minnesota investigated this crime and obtained a six countindictment of the murder suspect, stating that he had intent to kill, injury,harass, and intimidate Minnesota legislators. And I have the copy right here. Iread through it.
(04:38:07):
Yet a few weeks ago, President Trump suggested publiclythat Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was behind these murders, posting on his TruthSocial account, a video raising this conspiracy theory. And it wasn't true. Andyou know it wasn't true or else you would not have brought an indictmentagainst the subject. Do you know what else Trump has said? He has said he hascut gas prices by 1,400%. False. That he won the 2020 election.
Attorney General Bondi (04:38:38):
Actually, gas is down to $1.99 a gallon thanks toPresident Trump.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:38:42):
That he didn't know Epstein, false.
Attorney General Bondi (04:38:43):
Maybe $5 in California.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:38:45):
It's my time, Mr. Chair. That he sent water to LA duringthe wildfires, false, that Governor Wes Moore of Maryland called him thegreatest president of his lifetime, false.
(04:38:59):
So many tales, too many to keep up, but I want to go backto what he said about Tim Walz. Do you agree that President Trump underminedpublic trust in law enforcement by suggesting that Governor Walz was involvedin the Hortman murders?
Attorney General Bondi (04:39:18):
I'm not familiar with that statement.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:39:20):
Well, that is a disappointing response, and it is also whyyour office and Donald Trump have zero credibility, because I know and you knowit was a right wing extremist who murdered the Hortmans, and you and thepresident are being dishonest with the American people.
(04:39:39):
Last fall, after the horrific shooting of Charlie Kirk,President Trump was asked if there were extremists on both the left and theright. And his exact words were, "I'll tell you something that's going toget me in trouble, but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the rightoftentimes are radical because they don't want to see crime. The radicals onthe left are the problem, and they're vicious, and they're horrible, andthey're politically savvy." Do you agree with this statement?
(04:40:07):
You're taking too long, Madam Attorney General, but youknow the answer, because your own department has addressed the question. In'24, the DOJ's research arm issued a report on domestic terrorism, stating thatthe far number of far right attacks continues to outpace all other types ofterrorism and domestic violence extremist. The DOJ published their report. Andafter the president made those comments, the DOJ took the report down. And Isent you a letter asking you a simple question, "Why did the JusticeDepartment remove the data that shows right wing extremists have killed moreinnocent people than left wing extremists?"
Attorney General Bondi (04:40:52):
Did you refer to immigration enforcement as domesticterrorism?
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (04:40:56):
You should answer my question, you're on my time, but youwon't. And what I am asking you to do is put the report back, restore the data.Stop scrubbing important data from your website, stop taking down reports thatyou know the American people need to know about.
(04:41:16):
There are violent, dangerous people out here with realthreats. And the dishonesty from your agency comes from the covering up ofthese threats that could hurt American people and put our lives at risk. Dobetter. And with that, I yield back Mr. Chair.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:41:31):
The lady yields back. The gentleman from North Carolina isrecognized.
Attorney General Bondi (04:41:35):
May I have one moment?
Congressman Baumgartner (04:41:36):
You may.
Attorney General Bondi (04:41:37):
Her district includes Culver City, and she's not talkingabout any crime in her districts. Nothing about helping crime in her district.She's not even worth getting into the details.
Congressman Harris (04:41:49):
Well, thank you, Madam Attorney General, and we aregrateful to have you here today. And let me just say that you've shown greatperseverance today, and I think you're coming to the last lap here of those ofus that are left, but I applaud your strength and I applaud your resolve.
(04:42:07):
Madam Attorney General, as a pastor for over 37 years now,I take serious issue with any attempts by agitators to disrupt church servicesor activities at houses of worship. And I just want to take a moment to clarifysome things.
(04:42:23):
I realize you can't talk about pending cases per se, but Ido want to ask some very general questions for clarification. Does the DOJconsider unauthorized entry into a house of worship to be protected activityunder the First Amendment when undertaken by a member of the press?
Attorney General Bondi (04:42:46):
Unauthorized with the intent of disrupting, yes.
Congressman Harris (04:42:49):
Okay.
Attorney General Bondi (04:42:50):
Even if it's a blogger like Don Lemon.
Congressman Harris (04:42:52):
Correct. How does the DOJ distinguish betweennews-gathering activity and expressive or protest conduct when a press defenseis asserted?
Attorney General Bondi (04:43:07):
Congressman, I met with the pastor of that church, andwhat happened there was horrific. Of course, the press is welcome. And I wouldhope all houses of worship, whether it's a synagogue, whether it's a church,any house of worship. However, what happened here is a pending case again, butwithin the four corners of the indictment, they were quote, "Gearing upfor a resistance."
(04:43:34):
They entered a house of worship, and I think the videospeaks for itself. What happened in there, what the video doesn't show is therewere approximately 400 parishioners in there on a Sunday morning, families,grandparents with canes, children upstairs in Sunday school who were...
(04:43:55):
Their parents were blocked from getting to them once thisresistance took place, and they had named it Operation Pull Up. It washeartbreaking for those families. They were terrified. I think they've all saidthat, and nothing like that should happen in this country. And under my watch,it won't.
Congressman Harris (04:44:18):
Thank you. And just to clarify, accosting members of acongregation, and creating a scene marked by intimidation and threat inside ahouse of worship would not be protected First Amendment activity, correct?
Attorney General Bondi (04:44:32):
Absolutely not. And a grand jury has indicted individualsover that.
Congressman Harris (04:44:37):
Thank you. One other question, just shifting a little bit.My home state of North Carolina has been making national headlines at times.And particularly in the city of Charlotte, we've made pleas at times for ourgovernor to get involved, bring in the National Guard. Our Fraternal Order ofPolice had pointed out that we were about 270 local cops below what we neededin order to adequately police the city.
(04:45:02):
And yet, the governor's declined to offer to partner withthe federal government to bring in reinforcements to Charlotte. I want to giveyou just a few moments, really the balance of my time, to explain the impactthat Memphis Safe Task Force has had on crime and safety in Memphis, because Iknow there was a place we saw that cooperation has tended to breed greatresults. And I would love to hear a little more about that.
Attorney General Bondi (04:45:28):
Thank you. And I have numbers for you, too. Well, andwe're all right here in D.C., we're all living right here in D.C., and I thinkwe've seen the remarkable impact that it has working with members of theDemocrat Party on this, with law enforcement, with the mayor, with the policechief, doing everything we can to make D.C. safe.
(04:45:54):
As of February 9th, there were nearly 10,000 arrests. Thisis D.C. 1,000 illegal guns seized since the operation began, with carjackingsdown 81% from this time last year, and violent crime down 42%. D.C. is saferbecause of it.
(04:46:19):
We know we had a National Guardsman shot and we had abeautiful young woman killed. I went to her funeral and I keep in touch withthe National Guardsmen who was shot, his parents. He's doing great. He's amiracle. Please continue to pray for him. I know my time is up, but sameresults I spoke about earlier in Memphis, and we're still working on that withthe help of Make Memphis Safe Again.
Congressman Harris (04:46:45):
Well, again, I think it just draws an incredible contrastbetween what we've seen happening in Minneapolis versus what we've seen happenin D.C., what we saw happen in Memphis, and what I would love to see, in someways, if we could ever get our governor to work with us in North Carolina tohappen in Charlotte. But with that, I yield back. Thank you.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:47:02):
Time of the gentleman has expired. That gentlelady isrecognized.
Speaker 23 (04:47:07):
Thank you. I seek unanimous consent to introduce into therecord the research that Representative Komluger-Dove and I referencedconcerning the threat of right-wing domestic terrorism, which the Department ofJustice scrubbed from its website in September.
Congressman Baumgartner (04:47:20):
Without objection, the gentlelady from Texas isrecognized.
Congresswoman Crockett (04:47:22):
Thank you.
Congresswoman Crockett (04:47:23):
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And to be clear, I'm notgoing to ask any questions of this witness, because this witness has revealedthat she has no intentions of answering questions. But instead, I'm going toask some very basic questions really quickly of my colleague, Becca Balint, ifshe will answer right or wrong, raping children?
Congresswoman Balint (04:47:38):
Wrong.
Congresswoman Crockett (04:47:39):
Right or wrong, killing random citizens?
Congresswoman Balint (04:47:42):
Definitely wrong.
Congresswoman Crockett (04:47:43):
Right or wrong, enriching yourself as the sittingPresident of the United States?
Congresswoman Balint (04:47:47):
Definitely wrong.
Congressman Goldman (04:47:48):
Okay. Thank you, 'cause I probably never would've got thatwith our witness. Our witness, who somehow is a lawyer, but does not understandhow it works with witnesses. I'm not really sure what law school she went toand what all kind of cases she tried,
Ms. Crockett (04:48:00):
... but typically, when you come into a space andsomebody's a witness, then they sit there and they answer questions instead ofasking questions. And then, we also have this objection that we use as lawyerscalled non-responsive when a witness fails to actually answer the question. Butnevertheless, let me address the survivors because that's exactly who they are.They are not victims, they are survivors.
(04:48:21):
Let me say thank you for having more courage and moralclarity in your pinky fingers than the entire Department of Justice. We arecurrently the laughing stock of the world, partially because of the failedleadership within the DOJ, as we see kings and queens falling everywhere aroundthe world. But we don't know the basics of right and wrong in this countrybecause it's not about partisanship. And that's why I applaud Thomas Massiebecause he's the only person on the Republican side that has a backbone andknows how to stand up to corruption. But nevertheless, let me keep going.
(04:48:53):
My Democratic colleagues have been attacked this entirecommittee hearing. They have been lied on. And frankly, the American peopleweren't looking for that. They were looking for answers about the corruptionthat they see coming from this administration. In the written testimony of thisparticular witness, she stated that when she took office, she had two maingoals. The first was to end the weaponization of justice. And second, to returnthe department to its core mission. Not only have you lied about both, you'veintentionally done the exact opposite.
(04:49:27):
You're spending more taxpayer resources arrestingjournalists than you are prosecuting pedophiles and creeps. In fact, your boss,the president of the United States, stated that this administration "Tookthe freedom of speech away." And at your direction, DOJ has arrested DonLemon and Georgia Fort. And I might add that y'all actually had a judge thatrejected y'all for trying to arrest Don Lemon before, just like the grand juryrejected y'all as it relates to Senator Kelly, just like a grand jury rejected y'allas it relates to Senator Slotkin, just like the case against Tish James wasdismissed and the case against Mr. Comey was dismissed. I completely don't gethow it is that you're sitting at the top of DOJ because you don't seem to begood at your job.
(04:50:11):
You're spending more taxpayer resources arresting thesejournalists. In fact, we know after Georgia Fort and Don Lemon were arrested,we know that there were homes of journalists that were raided. We know thatthreatened prosecution against students protesting your actions and forced techcompanies to remove apps used to track ICE's activities.
(04:50:34):
But let's circle back to you protecting pedophiles andcreeps because I want to talk about the president and his possible involvementwith Jeffrey Epstein. Now, I don't know what the president might have done withJeffrey Epstein, but unlike this administration, I believe that facts matter,so let's talk about the facts.
(04:50:49):
Fact number one, Donald Trump is one of the most namedpeople in the Epstein files. At least 5,000 files contains more than 38,000references to Trump, his wife, or Mar-a-Lago.
(04:51:01):
Fact number two, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwellmade young girls available to Trump on multiple occasions. For example,according to this file, Ghislaine Maxwell presented a young girl to PresidentTrump who spent more than 20 minutes apparently flirting with her.
(04:51:17):
Here's another example. This shows notes from FBIinvestigators that describe Jeffrey Epstein transporting a victim to Mar-a-Lagoto meet with President Trump where he bragged to Trump that, "This is agood one."
(04:51:29):
Now, I'm not saying that the president is a pedophile, butthere is a lot of evidence in these files that suggests that he's very closefriends with a lot of men who are pedophiles. What's crazy about all of this isjust that this is a big coverup and this administration is engaged in it. Infact, this administration is complicit. But there are numerous others like howthe DOJ is attempting to obstruct justice in the investigation of the rogueagents who have murdered American citizens, or how the DOJ sees voter data fromFulton County in an attempt to steal the 2026 midterm elections, or how federalagents have Tom Homan and on tape accepting a bribe and your agency killed theinvestigation, or how your agency is ready to give the president a $230 millionpayday, which is unconstitutional. The constitution is clear, the presidentshall not receive any payment, except his salary, while in office.
(04:52:19):
The fact of the matter is that you will be remembered asone of the worst attorney generals in history. An attorney general who hasprioritized obstruction over justice, corruption over the law, fealty to thepresident, over loyalty to the constitution.
(04:52:31):
And Mr. Chairman, I will yield.
Mr. Jordan (04:52:33):
Gentlelady yields. Gentlemen from Kansas, the formerattorney general, Mr. Schmidt is recognized.
Mr. Schmidt (04:52:41):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And General Bondi, thanks forbeing here. Did you have anything you wanted to say before we talk?
Attorney General Bondi (04:52:47):
I do. Thank you, Congressman. Thank you, my friend, formany years. I find it interesting that she didn't even want to try,Congresswoman Crockett, to ask any questions because she certainly did notcondemn her leader, Hakeem Jeffries, for taking money from Jeffrey Epsteinafter Epstein was convicted. And I will be brief to give you your time,Congressman. This is what she didn't want to talk about. Texas from Cuba,convicted, homicide, arson, weapon offense.
Ms. Crockett (04:53:19):
Convicted. So, what are we talking about? Convict some ofthese perpetrators that raped these women that are sitting-
Mr. Jordan (04:53:25):
Time belongs to the gentleman from Kansas.
Ms. Crockett (04:53:28):
... behind you that you refuse to even acknowledge theyare here.
Mr. Jordan (04:53:30):
Time belongs to the gentleman from Kansas.
Mr. Schmidt (04:53:32):
Mr. Chairman, could I have a few seconds back to make upfor the yelling?
Mr. Jordan (04:53:33):
You bet. You bet.
Mr. Schmidt (04:53:37):
Thank you. General, did you have anything further to say?
Attorney General Bondi (04:53:38):
Texas, convicted of homicide. Cecil Joseph from DominicanRepublic. Texas, convicted for kidnapping rape, Khalid Khan from Afghanistan.That's why they want to talk about Epstein and not what's happening in theirown states.
Mr. Schmidt (04:53:59):
Thank you, General, and thank you for being here. And thishas been quite a spectacle to observe today. I think it's sad. I ran forCongress because I thought we had serious problems in this country we wanted totry to fix together. And this performance today, not yours, General, but someof my colleagues has not shored up my competence that we are up to the task.
(04:54:20):
You and I served together for eight years when you wereattorney general of Florida and I in Kansas. You served professionally. I'mglad to be able to serve with you in these new roles and I'm glad you're there,both generally and today. Part of the reason I ran for Congress is because inmy former role, I saw in the real world, in my state, the consequences offailed US immigration and border security policy. And I'll spare you thelengthy recitation, but let me give you the short version.
(04:54:47):
I sit here and think about a fellow who was running, Ibelieve it was drugs for the cartels and shot a police officer in Oklahoma,drove across the border into my state, kidnapped an old man and then invaded ahouse and shot at cops before we ultimately neutralized him. He's in prison nowfor, I believe, the rest of his life. I'm thinking about a drunk driver who wasin our country illegally, never should have been here and one night killed ayoung deputy on Southern Johnson County, Kansas, who was making a traffic stopon another individual. Drunk driver ran into him, never should have been here,shouldn't have happened. Thinking about a guy who was deported repeatedly, cameback and ultimately murdered, I believe it was four people in Kansas City,Kansas, and then fled to Missouri and killed a fifth guy. He died in prison.
(04:55:26):
I'm thinking about a guy we prosecuted who wasn't supposedto be in this country, who raped a child in a little rural county up north onthe Nebraska border, and we sent him to prison for, I believe, the rest of hislife. Thinking about a guy who wasn't supposed to be here at all who murdered,I think it was his wife or his domestic partner in an act of domestic violencein Northwest Kansas. Thinking about another guy who was here and joined up withsome folks who were citizens and committed a crime spree and then thought hemight get caught, so he killed one of his accomplices and we sent him prisonfor the rest of his life. And that's just the ones I'm thinking about sittingright here.
(04:55:54):
And you know what's common in all of those? They allcommitted violations of my state's law. They were caught by my state's lawenforcement. They were prosecuted by my state's prosecutors. They are servingtime in my state's prisons. And if and when they ever get out, the UnitedStates has said they need to be sent out of this country because of what theydid.
(04:56:15):
You're holding up photos, General. There's a list on theDepartment of Homeland Security's website. It has about 280, 290 people likethat in my state of Kansas. And you know what? We haven't made headlines likeMinneapolis. We haven't made headlines like Memphis. We haven't made headlineslike Los Angeles. And you know why? Because our cops are professionals and ourpoliticians, by law, allow them to do their job and to work with federal agentsfor safe handoffs in order to do everything that's supposed to be done. Justiceunder state law and the justice of deportation on the back-end.
(04:56:46):
So, I'm going to do something that's been rare here today,General. I want to ask you about public policy. Donald Trump won't be presidentforever. I would like to lock in some of these gains we have made in publicsafety. Should we be exploring the idea, for example, of beefing up 287(g)partnerships or maybe replicating that so that state prosecutors can work moreclosely with federal prosecutors to get deportation orders as well as stateconvictions?
Attorney General Bondi (04:57:08):
Absolutely.
Mr. Schmidt (04:57:09):
In terms of sanctuary jurisdictions, when a sanctuaryjurisdiction says, as a matter of politics, "Go pound sand," to thefeds. "We won't honor your detainers," so they release those peopleI'm talking about and into their communities. And those people commit anothercrime of property or violence against citizens, should those citizens have sometype of civil redress against the jurisdiction that, as a matter of publicpolicy, turned those people loose who created the new victims?
Attorney General Bondi (04:57:33):
Yeah, and Congressmen, it's risking the lives of all ofthe citizens of that jurisdiction.
Mr. Schmidt (04:57:39):
And you've been sued a lot, or the administration has, byfolks who don't like your policies.
Attorney General Bondi (04:57:43):
Hundreds of times.
Mr. Schmidt (04:57:44):
You've won many of those?
Attorney General Bondi (04:57:45):
Yes.
Mr. Schmidt (04:57:46):
Isn't it the case that the law says under rule 65 thatwhen you win those and there's a wrongfully entered injunction, that there'ssupposed to be a monetary remedy for that, so there's a cost?
Attorney General Bondi (04:57:56):
Yes.
Mr. Schmidt (04:57:57):
And didn't the president direct you and other agency headsto start seeking bonds in those cases?
Attorney General Bondi (04:58:02):
Yes.
Mr. Schmidt (04:58:03):
And should we beef up the law in that area by codifyingthat requirement going forward?
Attorney General Bondi (04:58:07):
I would love to discuss that with you.
Mr. Schmidt (04:58:09):
Thank you, General. Thank you for being here.
Mr. Jordan (04:58:11):
Gentlemen yields back. Well done. Some of the questions heraised, we plan on taking up in a markup in a couple weeks on the wholesanctuary jurisdiction issue. With that, I recognize the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. Gill (04:58:22):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Madam AttorneyGeneral, for taking the time to speak with us. We certainly really appreciateit. I've got a series of questions for you that we can get through prettyquickly, I think. Can you tell me, is it true that the Biden-Harris DOJ raidedPresident Trump's home?
Attorney General Bondi (04:58:39):
They did.
Mr. Gill (04:58:39):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ allow Jack Smith to spy on over adozen Republican members of Congress?
Attorney General Bondi (04:58:45):
Absolutely.
Mr. Gill (04:58:45):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ seize the phone of a sittingRepublican congressman?
Attorney General Bondi (04:58:50):
Yes.
Mr. Gill (04:58:50):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ and Jack Smith pay at least$20,000 to confidential human sources to provide information on PresidentTrump?
Attorney General Bondi (04:58:59):
At least.
Mr. Gill (04:59:00):
At least? Did the Biden-Harris DOJ and FBI fail toapprehend the suspect who placed pipe bombs near the Capitol ahead of January6th?
Attorney General Bondi (04:59:08):
Yes.
Mr. Gill (04:59:09):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ target parents as domesticterrorists?
Attorney General Bondi (04:59:13):
Absolutely.
Mr. Gill (04:59:14):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ target pro-life Catholics, goingso far as to interview a priest and a choir director?
Attorney General Bondi (04:59:21):
Yes.
Mr. Gill (04:59:22):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ send FBI SWAT teams to arrestpro-life advocates with no criminal histories?
Attorney General Bondi (04:59:28):
Yes.
Mr. Gill (04:59:29):
Did the Biden- Harris DOJ use the FACE Act to targetpro-life advocates, while it allowed anti-life agitators to vandalize, destroy,and firebomb pregnancy resource centers and churches?
Attorney General Bondi (04:59:41):
Multiple times, I believe.
Mr. Gill (04:59:43):
Multiple times? Did the Biden-Harris DOJ ever determinewho leaked the Dobbs decision?
Attorney General Bondi (04:59:51):
I can't discuss that. No, under Biden-Harris. No.
Mr. Gill (04:59:55):
Got it. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ and FBI targetwhistleblowers for revealing waste, fraud, and abuse within the department toCongress?
Attorney General Bondi (05:00:05):
Not to my knowledge.
Mr. Gill (05:00:06):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ refuse to say whether itcoordinated with Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis and Leticia James in their lawfareagainst President Trump?
Attorney General Bondi (05:00:15):
They refused.
Mr. Gill (05:00:16):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ slow walk the criminalinvestigation and prosecution of Hunter Biden?
Attorney General Bondi (05:00:22):
That's an understatement, in my opinion.
Mr. Gill (05:00:25):
Yep. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ determine who broughtcocaine into the Biden White House?
Attorney General Bondi (05:00:32):
They did not.
Mr. Gill (05:00:33):
They did not? Did the Biden-Harris DOJ cover up theextent-
Attorney General Bondi (05:00:35):
Well, as far as we know, they did not.
Mr. Gill (05:00:37):
Right. That's right. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ cover up theextent of the Russia collusion hoax?
Attorney General Bondi (05:00:43):
Absolutely, in my opinion. Yes.
Mr. Gill (05:00:45):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ seek leniency from a federalcourt for an IRS contractor who leaked sensitive tax information on over 7,600Americans, including President Trump?
Attorney General Bondi (05:00:59):
Yes.
Mr. Gill (05:01:00):
Did the Biden-Harris DOJ sue Texas because the statewanted to secure its own southern border?
Attorney General Bondi (05:01:06):
Yes.
Mr. Gill (05:01:08):
And finally, did the Biden-Harris DOJ attack SpaceX forhiring too many Americans?
Attorney General Bondi (05:01:13):
I believe they did.
Mr. Gill (05:01:14):
Yep.
Attorney General Bondi (05:01:15):
Unbelievable.
Mr. Gill (05:01:16):
It is unbelievable. And I appreciate that a lot of this isbeing cleaned up under your leadership.
Attorney General Bondi (05:01:22):
Thank you.
Mr. Gill (05:01:22):
So, thank you for returning the DOJ back to its corefocus, which is on the rule of law. And I think that we see the results ofthat. I've got a few more similar questions for you. Over the past year sincePresident Trump has been in office, how have murders trended in the UnitedStates?
Attorney General Bondi (05:01:39):
Since President Trump has been in office, the murder ratehas dropped to a historic 20% drop in the national murder rate, lowest since1900.
Mr. Gill (05:01:50):
20% drop in one year. That's incredible, isn't it?
Attorney General Bondi (05:01:55):
And that's thanks to the incredible men and women of lawenforcement, FBI, DEA, ATF, everyone working together to solve violent crime,along with our sheriffs, our local law enforcement, working as a teamthroughout this country and our great state and federal prosecutors.
Mr. Gill (05:02:12):
Yep. And how have robberies trended? Even if they've just-
Attorney General Bondi (05:02:22):
Violent crime has decreased, as well as robberies.
Mr. Gill (05:02:25):
So, murders, violent crime. The country is more safe now.It's fair to say, would you agree than it was a year and a half ago under JoeBiden?
Attorney General Bondi (05:02:32):
Absolutely. And Director Patel is working tirelessly tocatch those, I'm sure you've been seeing, on the most wanted list. He andDeputy Director Bongino from day one said, "We're going to get the mostwanted list," and that's what's been happening, working hand in hand withall of our agencies.
Mr. Gill (05:02:51):
Yep. And I want to thank you for that. Thank you for thework you've been doing to refocus the DOJ again on doing your core job.
Attorney General Bondi (05:02:58):
Thank you.
Mr. Gill (05:02:58):
We're very happy with it. And I'll yield the remainder ofmy time to the chairman.
Attorney General Bondi (05:03:02):
Thank you.
Mr. Jordan (05:03:03):
I appreciate it, gentlemen. I would just say earlier, oneof the Democrats said that they said, "Who are you? Who you are?" AndI think you're the attorney general, who I think on the first day disbanded theFITF. First day on the job, rescinded the memo that required the spying onparents that Mr. Garland had issued and stood up the weaponization workinggroup. I think you did that all on day one.
Attorney General Bondi (05:03:23):
Day one.
Mr. Jordan (05:03:24):
Not to mention, you're the First Justice Department that'sput in place, as we've talked about earlier, this deputy attorney general forcombating fraud. So, we appreciate that. And of course, all the things that Mr.Gill pointed out with the crime stats that have went down. So, our lastquestion of the day, but not the least is the gentleman... Well, I'm sorry,we're going to have two more. We got Mr. Onder and then Mr. Baumgartner. So,Mr. Baumgartner... Well, let's go that way since you're here, you're ready togo. Mr. Baumgartner, then we'll come back to Mr. Onder.
Mr. Baumgartner (05:03:53):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Attorney GeneralBondi. Being a freshman on this committee, you always get a bit surprised, Iguess, even one year into my term here, how theatrical days like this can be.But I think you've performed well today and answered the questions well today,and that's a credit to you and appreciated by the American people.
(05:04:18):
The Epstein issue is certainly important and is importantfor the victims. I think both I and the American people have a little bit oftrouble taking the Democrats super seriously on this issue when they have beenso uncurious about President Clinton's relations with Jeffrey Epstein. And evenmyself, I had no idea that there was actually a sitting Democrat Congresswomanwho had taken substantial campaign donations from Mr. Epstein, only when thatcame light on the floor with a potential resolution. And you would think therewould be more outrage on those types of things if they were going to be takingcredible, but we do know the performance value of what goes on in thiscommittee.
(05:05:01):
I want to talk about the big things that Department ofJustice is doing. And when I look at the dramatic decrease in crime in thiscountry in the last year since the Trump administration has come, you'll seethe board behind me, violent crime plummets across major US cities. So, myfirst question would be, and when it comes to the big stuff, how are you guysgetting this stuff so right? What contributes from your perspective to thisdramatic decrease in crime in major US cities under the Trump administration?
Attorney General Bondi (05:05:37):
When I first took office, I met with all of our agencies.And the one thing that stuck with me that one of the heads of the departmentsaid to me, one of the law enforcement department heads, "President Trumphas taken the handcuffs off us, so we can keep the people of Americasafe." And that's what he's done. He has given our law enforcementofficers the tools that they need and the backing that they need, the supportthat they need to combat violent crime and all crime throughout this country.
(05:06:12):
And I'd be remiss, we've talked about the FBI, we'vetalked about DEA a bit, but can I please brag about ATF? Rob Cekada and DanDriscoll, of course, who has been our acting head of ATF have done a remarkablejob. Stopping guns from flowing into Mexico, not harassing gun owners. 26,965violent crime cases have been initiated, including more than 4,300 firearmstrafficking cases. More than 1,200 of those are tied to gun trafficking inMexico. I talk to them almost daily.
Mr. Baumgartner (05:06:55):
Thank you.
Attorney General Bondi (05:06:55):
And they're working so hard.
Mr. Baumgartner (05:06:57):
Well, thank you, Attorney General. Again, I look back atthis last year and we've had this historic tax cut yesterday and the WallStreet Journal, the National Cancer Foundation ran full page ads thankingCongress, the administration for doing more for cancer research than has everdone before. I was just meeting with Habitat for Humanity out in the hallway,and they came and thanked us for doing more than's ever been done for Habitatand Humanity.
(05:07:23):
So, there's been so many accomplishments, but I reallythink this crime is the biggest deal of all, but I do have some concerns onthis issue. And those also are respect to how we keep people safe withsanctuary cities and sanctuary states. And I remind everyone, and as I sure youknow, Madam Attorney General, that when we had the terrible terrorist attacksof 9/11, the number one recommendation of the 9/11 Commission was to reducebarriers between all levels of law enforcement.
(05:07:55):
They specifically pointed to things like fusion centers,joint terrorism task force, and getting local law enforcement and federal lawenforcement to work together and communicate on a regular basis. And I wouldjust like your perspective because we have a more complex global threat thananytime since World War II. We still have Islamic terrorism. We have spies fromChina, Iran, Russia, all these things. And what does sanctuary cities andstates do for communication in law enforcement? How does it make us less safe?
Attorney General Bondi (05:08:28):
Sanctuary cities and states are attempting to preventcommunication among all the law enforcement agencies. And of course, that'skeeping all of America less safe, especially when the violent criminals arefleeing to those jurisdictions because they believe they're protected. But withall of our joint task forces... I see it every day, Congressman, how well,despite, despite what these liberals are trying to do, Donald Trump'sadministration is working tirelessly, tirelessly to protect all of Americans andall of our agencies working hand in hand to keep America safe.
Mr. Baumgartner (05:09:05):
Well, you guys are getting the big stuff right. You lookat that decrease in crime across the country. You ought to take a victory lap.Well done.
Mr. Jordan (05:09:12):
Gentlemen yields back. The gentleman from Missouri isrecognized.
Mr. Onder (05:09:15):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Attorney GeneralBondi, for being here on this long day. And I want to thank you most of all foryour leadership in your whole career defending victims. And now, I want to takea moment to talk about you protecting victims from a different child abuse,that medicalized child abuse that goes under the banner of gender-affirmingcare that far too many of my Democrat colleagues enthusiastically support andunapologetically support.
(05:09:44):
Shortly after returning to office, President Trump signedan executive order directing HHS to review the clinical evidence and determinewhether sex-rejecting interventions caused more harm than good. HHS reached thesame conclusion that the UK and Finland and Sweden reached, that the risks areserious and that imposing this so-called care on minors was not appropriate.This executive order also directed you, as attorney general, to "Work todraft, propose, and promote legislation to enact a private right of action forchildren and the parents of children whose healthy body parts have been damagedby medical professionals practicing chemical and surgical mutilation, whichshould include a lengthy statute of limitations."
(05:10:35):
Last September, you transmitted that bill to Congress. Ithas been my honor to introduce that bill as the Chloe Cole Act. We named thebill after Chloe Cole who sat where you're sitting just a few years ago on her19th birthday. During a hearing chaired by now Speaker Mike Johnson, I'd liketo play a clip of her testimony that day to remind us of her story.
Video (05:11:01):
... back on to puberty blockers and then testosterone. Theresulting menopausal like hot flashes made focusing on school impossible. Istill get joint pains and weird pops in my back, but they were far worse when Iwas on the blockers. A month later when I was 13, I had my first testosteroneinjection, this caused permanent changes to my body. My voice will forever bedeeper. My jawline sharper, my nose longer, my bone structure permanentlymasculinized, my Adam's apple more prominent, my fertility unknown.
(05:11:33):
I look in the mirror sometimes and I feel like a monster.I had a double mastectomy at 15. They tested my amputated breast for cancer andI was cancer-free, of course. I always perfectly healthy. There was nothingwrong with my still-developing body or my breasts. Other than that, as aninsecure teenage girl, I felt awkward about it. After my breasts were takenaway from me, the tissue was incinerated. Before I was able to legally drive, Ihad a huge part of my future womanhood taken from me. I will never be able tobreastfeed.
(05:12:09):
I struggle to look at myself in the mirror at times. Istill struggle to this day with sexual dysfunction, and I have massive scarsacross my chest and the skin grafts that they use that they took of my nipplesare weeping fluid today, and they were grafted into a more masculinepositioning, they said.
Mr. Onder (05:12:32):
Chloe testified that day that what she needed was mentalhealth therapy, but she never received it and she was not suicidal until afterthey did these horrible things to her. She pleaded with Congress to act so thatfuture children would not suffer what she did. Last week was a major turningpoint for these medical malpractice claims when a detransitioner was the firstto successfully hold doctors liable with a $2 million settlement for what theydid to that poor girl.
(05:13:05):
Just days later, the American Society of Plastic Surgeonsannounced that they would no longer do transgender surgeries on minors and theAMA followed suit. This proves that if the bill your DOJ drafted were passedinto law, these barbaric practices would end immediately because all victimswould be able to hold those who harm them accountable.
(05:13:28):
Could you share with us a little bit about your work inadvocating for victims, like Chloe? And what a private right of action wouldmean for victims like her and their families?
Attorney General Bondi (05:13:40):
Yes. And first, Congressman, thank you for championingthis bill. And also to Chloe, what a brave young woman to come before this bodyand-
Mr. Onder (05:13:55):
At age 19.
Attorney General Bondi (05:13:56):
At age 19 and talk about what happened to her. It's notabout just giving relief to children who have been harmed. It allows victimswhose healthy body parts have been damaged to seek relief and obtain relief.And thanks to you, and we are proud to work hand-in-hand with you on thisissue. And I think it's pretty sad none of your colleagues on the other side ofthe aisle even brought that up, but I hope they support this to protect allchildren throughout this country.
Mr. Onder (05:14:31):
Well, General Bondi, thank you so much to you, to yourdepartment, to President Trump. I yield back.
Mr. Jordan (05:14:36):
Gentlemen, yields back.
Mr. Raskin (05:14:38):
I've just saved some UC requests for the end, Mr.Chairman.
Mr. Jordan (05:14:41):
Okay. Go right ahead.
Mr. Raskin (05:14:42):
Thank you kindly. "Record low crime during theBiden-Harris administration." "Crime down in every category in 2024under Biden FBI report says," "Trump takes credit for violent crimedrop where rates were already falling." From NPR, "Trumpadministration targets ATF with plans to cut jobs and ease gunrestrictions." And then, the few oldies but goodies, I've introduced thesebefore about the claim that we didn't have anything to say about Epstein beforethe Trump administration. "Raskin joins call for attorney general toreopen Epstein case and publicly release a cost of misconduct investigation indocuments," March 1, 2019. "Oversight committee plans hearing withAcosta on plea deal with Epstein," July 10, 2019. And finally, "68House members call for resignation of Labor Secretary Acosta," July 10,2019.
Mr. Jordan (05:15:31):
Without objection. Attorney General Bondi, thank you foryour service to the country and thank you for being here for a long day. Weappreciate your willingness to come and answer our questions and the great jobyou're doing for our country. And I got one thing I got to say, this concludestoday's hearing. We thank our witness for appearing before the committee.Without objection, all members will have five legislative days to submitadditional written questions for the witness or additional materials for therecord.
(05:15:58):
Without objection, the hearing is adjourned.