WATCH: Johnson asks Bondi to apologize to Epstein survivors for not protecting their identities

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., asked if Attorney General Pam Bondi, an experienced prosecutor, was aware of how important it is to protect the identities of sexual assault survivors while prosecuting their alleged abusers.

Bondi didn't directly answer the question from Johnson, who said it was a yes or no answer. The attorney general, as she had throughout Wednesday’s hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee, raised her voice and accused Democrats of “theatrics.”

Gesturing to the group of survivors of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the room, Johnson asked if Bondi would apologize to them for “outing” them in the Department of Justice’s document releases.

“How many lives have been derailed because your department was either sloppy and incompetent or wilfully trying to intimidate and punish these ladies coming forward?”

Bondi doesn’t answer the question, telling Johnson, “Your time is up.”

Earlier in the hearing, Bondi turned down a request from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to apologize to the Epstein survivors for how her department has handled the case.

The hearing was an opportunity for lawmakers to question Bondi on a number of controversial issues involving the Justice Department, including around the Trump administration’s failure to meet a Congress-mandated deadline to release all of its Epstein files; the legal justification for the administration’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific; as well as prosecutions of perceived Trump political rivals like James Comey and Letitia James. Bondi is seeking to revive both cases, which were already thrown out by a U.S. district judge.

The Department of Justice has released millions of pages of Epstein-related documents, photographs and messages. But it missed its deadline by more than a month, and the releases have been mired by missed redactions and accusations of key omissions. Millions of pages related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender remain inaccessible, though the White House defends its review as thorough and complete. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has demanded more transparency, accusing the government of failing to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in November, and survivors released a Super Bowl ad telling Bondi “it’s time for the truth.”

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