Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi after the nation's top law enforcement official refused to say whether she had investigated Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"The Epstein files contain evidence of a multi-decade international criminal conspiracy involving some of the wealthiest and the most powerful people in the world," Balint told Bondi during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. "And obviously, as you know, President Trump's name is all over them, but so are the names of other senior Trump officials. Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, John Phelan, the Secretary of the Navy, and Stephen Feinberg, the Deputy Secretary of Defense."
"Attorney General Bondi, yes or no, has the Justice Department asked Secretary Lutnick about his ties to Epstein?" the lawmaker wondered.
Bondi deflected by noting that Lutnick had addressed the claims during a congressional hearing.
"Has Deputy Secretary Feinberg talked to Department of Justice about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein?" Balint pressed. "Yes or no?"
Bondi again deflected by attacking Balint.
"Oh my gosh!" the Democrat exclaimed. "Across the world, across the world, prominent men who've been exposed in the files have resigned their jobs in disgrace. And that's a good first start."
"Please stop talking," she said as Bondi interrupted.
"Shame on you," Bondi quipped.
"Oh, for goodness sakes," Balint said. "This is pathetic, Mr. Chair. I am not asking trick questions here. The American people have a right to know the answers to this. These are senior officials and the Trump administration. This is not a game, Secretary."
"I'm Attorney General," Bondi stated.
"My apologies, I couldn't tell," Balint shot back.
After Balint's time was up, a Republican gave Bondi a chance to respond.
"I was curious if you, Congresswoman, asked Bill Clinton that?" the attorney general said. "I didn't see one tweet when Joe Biden was in office about Bill Clinton."
"Weak sauce," Balint shrugged.
"And also, I want the record to reflect that, you know, with this anti-Semitic culture," Bondi said, referring to one of Balint's votes.
"Oh, do you want to go there, Attorney General?" the lawmaker shouted back. "Do you want to go there? Are you serious? Talking about anti-Semitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust? Really?"