WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday told victims of Jeffrey Epstein to come forward with information about their abuse as she sought to tamp down political turmoil over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to the wealthy financier’s sex trafficking investigation that has dogged her tenure.

In her first appearance before Congress since the release of millions of additional Epstein files, Bondi addressed victims who were present in the hearing room, saying that she was “deeply sorry” for what they had suffered. Bondi sought to fend off criticism from Democrats who have accused her of ignoring victims, noting that she is a career prosecutor who has devoted her legal work to protecting victims of sex abuse.

“Any accusations of criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated,” the attorney general said.

Bondi’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee comes a year into her tumultuous tenure that has amplified concerns that the Justice Department is using its law enforcement powers to target political foes of the president.

Just a day earlier, the department had sought to secure charges against Democratic lawmakers who produced a video urging military service members not to follow “illegal orders.” But in an extraordinary rebuke of prosecutors, a grand jury in Washington refused to return an indictment.

The committee chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, opened the hearing by repeating talking points that the Justice Department, under Democratic President Joe Biden, was weaponized against Donald Trump and conservatives. Democrats and many good government advocates say it is Trump's own administration that has politicized law enforcement.

“What a difference a year makes. Under Attorney General Bondi, the DOJ has returned to its core missions -- upholding the rule of law, going after the bad guys and keeping Americans safe,” Jordan said.

Bondi was confronting a new wave of criticism stemming from the political saga she has struggled to shake after the release of millions of additional Epstein disclosures that survivors have slammed as sloppy and incomplete.

Democrats were expected to grill Bondi on how the Justice Department decided what should and should not be made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That law was passed by Congress after the department abruptly announced in July that no more files would be released even though it had raised the hopes of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.

In the hearing room, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the committee, introduced several Epstein survivors and accused Bondi of perpetuating a cover-up.

“You’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims," Raskin said. “That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change the course.”

Bondi has struggled to move past the backlash over her handling of the Epstein files since distributing binders to a group of social media influencers at the White House in February 2025. The binders included no new revelations about Epstein, leading to even more calls from Trump’s base for the files to be released.

Members of Congress were at the department earlier this week to look through unredacted versions of the files. As part of an arrangement with the Justice Department, lawmakers were given access to the over 3 million released files in a reading room with four computers and were allowed to take handwritten notes.

Democrats have accused the department of redacting information that should have been made public, including information that could lead to scrutiny of Epstein’s associates. Meanwhile, survivors have slammed the department for inconsistent or nonexistent redactions that allowed for the inadvertent release of nude photos and other private information.

Department officials have defended their handling of the files, saying they took pains to protect survivors, but that errors were inevitable given the volume of the materials and the speed at which the department had to release them. The Associated Press and other media organizations are still reviewing millions of pages of documents, many of them previously confidential.

An AP review of records shows that while investigators collected ample proof that Epstein sexually abused underage girls, they found scant evidence the well-connected financier led a sex trafficking ring serving powerful men. Videos and photos seized from Epstein’s homes in New York, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not depict people being abused or implicate anyone else in his crimes, a prosecutor wrote in one 2025 memo.

The case involving lawmakers' video to military service members could provide additional fodder for Democrats to hammer Bondi and question how the Justice Department is using its investigative authority.

The video, featuring Democrats who are veterans or have experience in the intelligence community, angered the administration — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in particular.

The Justice Department opened an investigation into the video in which Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, along with four other Democrats, urged U.S. service members to follow established military protocols and reject orders they believe to be unlawful.

A grand jury in Washington on Tuesday declined to issue any indictments. It wasn’t immediately clear whether prosecutors had sought indictments against all six lawmakers or what charge or charges prosecutors attempted to bring. But it marked the latest instance of a grand jury rebuffing the Justice Department in cases involving critics of the administration.