Raskin accuses the Justice Department of “spying” on lawmakers reviewing Epstein files

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Democrat is calling for an oversight investigation after images emerged suggesting the Justice Department was tracking the search histories of lawmakers reviewing files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate what he called “spying” on members of Congress who this week reviewed less-redacted versions of Epstein’s files in the department’s annex and on computers owned by the department.

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Photos taken during Attorney General Pam Bondi’s hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday showed her holding a folder open to a page labeled “Jayapal Pramila search history” that contained a series of documents that had apparently been reviewed. Pramila Jayapal is a Democratic congresswoman who was among the Judiciary Committee members who pressed Bondi during the hearing into the department’s handling of the Epstein files.

Jayapal called that “completely unacceptable” and said lawmakers would “demand a full accounting” of how the department used the search history.

“Bondi has enough time to spy on members of Congress, but not enough time to apologize to the survivors of Epstein’s horrific abuse,” Jayapal said in a post on X.

He watches: Rep. Jayapal asks Bondi to personally apologize to Epstein survivors

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in recent days traveled to a Justice Department site to review less-redacted records from the files, but some who viewed the documents complained that much information about Epstein’s associates remains hidden from view. The Trump administration’s Justice Department said last month that it had released more than 3 million pages along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 photos related to the Epstein investigation.

Justice Department spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday, and a representative for the inspector general’s office declined to comment.

Not only has the Justice Department withheld records from lawmakers, but “Bondi and her team are now spying on members of Congress who are doing the oversight in another blatant attempt to intrude on Congress’s oversight processes,” Raskin said in a statement.

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“The Department of Justice must immediately stop tracking any member searches, open the Epstein review to senior congressional staff, and release all files publicly — with all survivor information, and only survivor information, properly redacted — as required by federal law.”