Trump admin tracking lawmakers’ Epstein files research, Bondi seen with 'Jayapal search history' document: Is the DoJ protecting someone?

Questions are mounting in Washington after lawmakers accused the Trump administration of tracking their research into the Jeffrey Epstein files, raising concerns about whether the Justice Department is overstepping its authority and shielding sensitive information. The controversy erupted after photographs from the Wednesday (Feb 11) congressional hearing showed US Attorney General Pam Bondi holding a document labelled "Jayapal Pramila Search History," which appeared to list files accessed by Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal during her review of unredacted Epstein records provided to lawmakers.

Is the DoJ protecting someone?

Access to the previously undisclosed Epstein materials was granted to members of Congress earlier this week under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. But several lawmakers now say the review process itself may have been designed to track their activity.
Jayapal, whose review history Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi was seen with at the congressional hearing, slammed the DoJ, saying that the discovery confirmed her concerns. In a social media post, she wrote that Bondi appeared with a “burn book” containing a “printed search history of exactly what emails I searched”. Calling the practice inappropriate and a violation of the separation of powers between Congress and the executive branch, she added, “That is outrageous, and I intend to pursue this and stop this spying on members.”

Justice Department defends logging practice

Talking to The Guardian, the Justice Department acknowledged that it logs searches conducted by lawmakers reviewing the Epstein files. In a statement, a spokesperson said the tracking is intended to prevent the disclosure of victims’ identities and other sensitive information. "As part of that review, DoJ logs all searches made on its systems to protect against the release of victim information."

Still, criticism has come from both sides of the political aisle. Republican Representative Nancy Mace described the monitoring as "creepy," while Democratic Representative Suhas Subramanyam said the confirmation explained earlier suspicions that lawmakers’ file access was being recorded.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said such monitoring would be “inappropriate” if confirmed, though he initially said he had not reviewed the reports of the surveillance in detail.