CNN host Erin Burnett was left speechless after Attorney General Pam Bondi’s contentious appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, where she refused to apologize for the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files despite the presence of Epstein’s victims in the hearing room.
Responding to footage of the hearing, Burnett told CNN reporter Paula Reid, “Sometimes there just aren’t words for the things we’re seeing these days.”
During the hearing, Bondi called ranking committee member Jamie Raskin a washed-up loser lawyer. She also accused Raskin of having Trump Derangement Syndrome and criticized him for not discussing the economy, mentioning the Dow being over 50,000, the S&P at almost 7,000, and the Nasdaq smashing records.
The tension escalated when California Rep. Ted Lieu suggested Bondi lied under oath regarding her statements about President Donald Trump. Lieu challenged Bondi after she said there was no evidence that Donald Trump had committed any crimes related to his connection with Epstein.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Bondi informed Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Justice Department’s files related to Epstein.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung denied the Wall Street Journal report, while the Justice Department also disputed it. Gates McGavick, a DOJ spokesperson, called the report a collection of falsehoods.
On July 15, when asked whether Bondi had briefed him on the department’s findings, Trump said he received a very quick briefing. Trump claimed the files were made up by Comey and Obama.
Burnett characterized Trump’s response as a lie if he was claiming he had not been told his name specifically appeared in the files.
The push for releasing the Epstein files has gained momentum in Congress. Four Republicans signed a discharge petition that forced a House vote on releasing the Justice Department’s files related to Jeffrey Epstein. South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace, 47, has been among those leading the effort.
During an appearance on Erin Burnett OutFront on Monday evening, Mace claimed Trump was now on board with releasing all documents related to his late friend. However, Burnett cut off Mace during the interview.
Burnett defended her program, saying, “I’m quite proud that on this program we’ve had every victim of Jeffrey Epstein that was willing to speak.”
Burnett also pointed out that the Justice Department’s prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, which led to the 63-year-old’s conviction and imprisonment, occurred under the Biden administration. Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security prison after meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer.