Our National Embarrassment

Attribution: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By Geoff Carter

She sat in front of the panel like an animatronic Barbie doll (Weird Barbie), glossy and blonde, but radiating an arrogant, overweening and disdainful vibe. She was there to testify to the House Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives about the status of the Epstein files. At the beginning it seemed like a serious occasion, as these hearings usually are, full of the gravitas and pomp typical of our federal institutions. But once the hearing started, instead of a measured, rational, and civilized exchange, the American people—and the world—were subjected to a witness who insulted, demeaned, belittled, and screamed at the representatives questioning her about some very serious matters. It looked more like an episode of Divorce Court than a Congressional proceeding.

The witness was Attorney General Pam Bondi. She had been called by the House Judiciary Committee to testify as to why—among many other topics—some of the Epstein files had been witheld by the Department of Justice. As Attorney General, Bondi had the power—and the responsibility—to release the files as stipulated by the Transparency Act. And while over 3.5 million documents of these files have been released, two million more remain in the possession of the Department of Justice. Ms. Bondi appears to have no intention of releasing the remaining documents and had been summoned to the hearing to explain why. It soon became apparent explanations were not on her agenda. Nor were apologies. Nor was civility.

From the beginning, Bondi was confrontational toward every Democrat on the committee. When pressed to answer questions directly instead of launching into partisan monologues, she resorted to name-calling and insults. When Representative and ranking Democratic member of the committee Jamie Raskin reminded her of this, she retorted, “Don’t tell me how to answer, you washed-up loser lawyer” (CNN). She constantly talked over committee members and diverted and deflected the direction of their questioning, much like her master the president.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump, required “the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publish (in a searchable and downloadable format) all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein”, but many of the files handed over had not been released in their entirety. They been heavily and incorrectly redacted. 

While redactions protecting the identities of Epstein’s victims were required by the statute, most of the blacked-out names were those of Epstein’s male cohorts and associates—the men who were allegedly involved in Epstein’s crimes. More shockingly (and shamefully) it was the names of some Epstein’s victims, young women or teenagers at the time they were trafficked and sexually exploited by Epstein, that had not been redacted. In some cases, nude photos of the victims as young girls were included in the files that were released to the public

Bondi had bungled her handling of the files from the beginning. Early on, she had stated during a press conference that the list of Epstein cohorts was on her desk. She later said the DOJ would not release the documents. Even later, she denied the list even existed. 

In light of her new egregious and possibly dangerous refusal to redact the victims’ names, to call the Department of Justice—and Bondi—incompetent would be gracious. Errors of this magnitude are inexcusable at any time, but the fact that these “errors” shielded Trump’s friends and allies while hurting their accusers seemed oddly convenient for the White House. Whether these oversights were honest Bondi mistakes or deliberate and malicious attempts to intimidate the victims while shielding friends and allies of the president from disgrace and criminal prosecution remains unproven but seems—considering the source—obvious. The whole think stinks of cover-up to high heaven. 

At one point during the hearing, Representative Pramila Jayapal stated that some of the Epstein survivors were present at the hearing asked them to rise. She then asked those who had been interviewed by the Bondi Department of Justice to raise their hands. None did. She then asked the Attorney General to apologize to the victims for failing to redact their photos and personal information from the files. Instead of doing the right thing, Bondi launched into an attack on Merrick Garland, her predecessor, and personal attacks on Representative Jayapal.

Ms. Bondi had absolutely no interest in the Epstein victims sitting not ten feet away from her. She refused to acknowledge them or to even look at the women who had been victimized by this vicious sexual predator. Bondi was not interested in clarifying her actions at the DOJ, either. She offered no explanations, no future itinerary, and no explanation for the DOJ stonewalling. She did, however, defend and praise Donald Trump whenever possible. At one point, she demanded that members of the committee apologize to the president for impeaching him during his first term. 

At one point, she demanded that the Democrats on the committee focus on the Dow, saying it was surging. “The Dow is over 50,000 right now, the S&P at almost 7,000, and the NASDAQ smashing records, Americans’ 401(k)s and retirement savings are booming,” Bondi said. “That’s what we should be talking about” (CNN). What that has to do with a hearing about the Epstein files is a mystery—or maybe not. It in fact reveals Bondi’s true purpose at the hearing—to protect her boss, her liege, her leader. Everything she said and did pointed back to that fact.

The president’s frustration with the refusal of the American public to forget the Epstein files scandal despite all his attempts to bury, belittle, or deflect it has no doubt rattled him because his scandal has probably caused more damage to his brand than any other issue. Right-wing podcasters and former Trumpists like Joe Rogan have called out the DOJ and the administration.

“This is definitely not a hoax,” Rogan said during his Thursday episode. “And if you got redacted people’s names and these people aren’t victims, you’re not protecting the victims.” (The Hill). 

So, what does Trump do? He sends off his weird little Barbie to fight off his opponents and she attacks exactly in the same way he does. She lies, she bullies, she intimidates, she deflects, and she obfuscates. She tries to frighten members of the press. She has managed this coverup—with all its screwups and blemishes. She is responsible for intimidating the Epstein victims. 

She, too, like her boss, the man she worships, is a total disgrace. The thing about Trump’s henchmen and attack dogs (and we should probably be grateful for this) is that they’re not the best and the brightest—not even close. 

Pam Bondi is an idiot. Her clumsy efforts to shelve the Epstein files has only made them more provocative. Kristi Noem is not only a heartless puppy assassin, she is also an idiot—and a greedy one at that. Her ICE surges into Minneapolis have resulted in a public relations nightmare for the president, and—here’s his double whammy—Bondi is refusing to let the DOJ cooperate with local authorities in the investigation of the ICE killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. 

Of course, some of the credit for these debacles has to go to the man himself. He was idiot enough to hire them—and RFK, Jr., and Howard Lutnick, and Pete Hegseth, and he has proven to probably the biggest clown in big top. He is not merely incompetent. He is testy, irritable, yippy, and—sadly—unaware of his own ignorance. He is in many ways like a spoiled French poodle.

Yes, this hearing was an international embarrassment. So is the entire Trump presidency (both terms). We all know this, but to see all the MAGA-type hubris, venom, ignorance, and prevarication on full display and delivered without an ounce of shame or remorse was more than embarrassing. It was humiliating. I’m ashamed to call myself an American today.

Notes

1. https://www.c-span.org/program/house-committee/attorney-general-pam-bondi-testifies-before-house-judiciary-committee-part-1/673053
2. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/11/politics/5-takeaways-pam-bondi-house-testimony
3. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-publishes-35-million-responsive-pages-compliance-epstein-files
4. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405