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Lawmakers Allege DOJ Spied on Their Epstein File Searches, Sparking Bipartisan Outcry
Washington D.C. – A political firestorm is brewing on Capitol Hill as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle express outrage over allegations that the Department of Justice (DOJ) tracked their search histories while reviewing unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files. The controversy escalated after a printout titled “Jayapal Pramila Search History” surfaced during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, leading to accusations of “spying” against Attorney General Pam Bondi.
House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced his concerns on Thursday, stating, “I don’t think it’s appropriate for anybody to be tracking that.” While he initially questioned whether the surveillance was intentional or an oversight, the fact that the data appeared in Attorney General Bondi’s research binder for Wednesday’s hearing raised eyebrows. Johnson added that lawmakers “should have the right” to view files at “their own speed and with their own discretion.”
The controversy began on Wednesday when Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal accused Attorney General Bondi of “spying” on her search history during her visit to the DOJ to review the sensitive Epstein documents.
Since Monday, lawmakers have been granted access to four computer kiosks at the DOJ to examine the unredacted files related to the convicted sex offender. Photos from Reuters clearly showed printouts detailing Jayapal’s search queries and a diagram of the documents she accessed.
The Justice Department, in a statement Thursday afternoon, confirmed that “DOJ logs all searches made on its systems to protect against the release of victim information” during the review of the unredacted Epstein files. However, the DOJ offered no explanation for why Attorney General Bondi possessed a specific printout of Jayapal’s search history.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace echoed Jayapal’s concerns, stating her belief that the DOJ was also tracking her search activities.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, while not surprised, expressed his dismay, asserting that “the bar is so low” for the current administration. “There is no bottom for the Trump administration, for Pam Bondi, for the other sycophants who are part of this corrupt administration,” Jeffries remarked.
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz highlighted a “suspicious” detail: each lawmaker receives a specific login to access the documents, rather than using open terminals.
“I mean, I’m not embarrassed that the documents I was looking at, so I don’t know that it’s a big gotcha. But it’s inappropriate.
We should have been informed of that,” Moskowitz stated.
Jayapal emphasized the need for “a whole new process” to ensure the DOJ is “not spying on us and keeping our search histories and then using it against us.” She told reporters, “Surveilling us and spying on us and then using it in a ‘burn book’ binder against us, is absolutely unacceptable, and so the process has to change right away.
They cannot save our search histories. They cannot spy on us, and that’s what we’re demanding.”
Jayapal also indicated that Democrats are “looking at all the options” for accountability and welcomed Republican collaboration on the issue.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the committee, announced his intention to ask the DOJ’s inspector general to launch an inquiry into the matter.
However, not all Republicans share the same level of concern. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep.
Jim Jordan dismissed the allegations, drawing parallels to past DOJ actions against Republican members of Congress. Jordan referenced “Arctic Frost,” an investigation that he claims captured phone logs of several Republicans, including himself and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“I mean come on, it’s pretty rich. It’s pretty rich to hear the complaints after, after what the DOJ has done to Republican members of Congress under Jack Smith,” Jordan said, arguing that the DOJ knew who the Speaker was calling, when, and for how long.
Jayapal, undeterred, urged Republicans to “be consistent about this,” drawing a connection to broader surveillance concerns. “I’ve worked with several colleagues across the aisle, including Chairman Jordan, on [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] and surveillance. This is a prime example of that,” she concluded.
The unfolding controversy points to a growing distrust between lawmakers and the Justice Department, raising serious questions about privacy, oversight, and the proper handling of sensitive information within the halls of government.