WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is facing scrutiny from lawmakers demanding an investigation into its alleged monitoring of Congress members reviewing files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, urged the Justice Department’s inspector general to probe what he describes as surveillance of elected officials conducting oversight reviews.
The calls for investigation followed photographs indicating that Attorney General Pam Bondi had records of lawmakers' searches while they accessed less-redacted versions of Epstein's files at a Justice Department facility. One image showed a binder opened to a page labeled Jayapal Pramila Search History, suggesting that searches performed by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal were being recorded.
Jayapal condemned the actions as totally unacceptable, asserting that Congress would demand a full explanation of the department's surveillance practices. Raskin emphasized this intrusion as a violation of congressional oversight protocols, urging that the Justice Department stop tracking member searches and ensure all relevant documents are disclosed in compliance with federal law.
A bipartisan group has visited the department's facility to review more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents recently released. However, many lawmakers have commented on the excessive redactions still present in the files, raising further concerns about transparency.
The Justice Department has not yet commented on the allegations. Lawmakers are pressing for greater accountability, hoping for a thorough investigation into the potential misuse of surveillance of Congress members.
