Pam Bondi made quite an entrance at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing — and not for the reasons she might have hoped. The Attorney General arrived carrying a folder that seemed to contain her entire battle plan, and when cameras zoomed in, the contents were revealed for everyone to see.
Close-up photos taken by Reuters photographer Jonathan Ernst showed Bondi’s “prep kit” in surprising detail: screenshots of social media posts, talking points, and even handwritten insults aimed at the Democratic senators who were about to question her. The folder, meant to help her stay composed under pressure, instead exposed how carefully choreographed her performance really was.
One page in particular stood out. It was devoted entirely to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, one of Bondi’s most vocal critics and one of the toughest questioners on the committee. The notes suggested ways to attack Whitehouse — calling him a hypocrite, accusing him of being connected to “dark money groups,” and even preparing a jab about billionaire Reid Hoffman, who was once associated with Jeffrey Epstein. Sure enough, when Whitehouse pressed her about whether the FBI had found compromising photos linked to Epstein, Bondi shot back with the Hoffman line almost word-for-word from her notes.
That exchange drew widespread attention because it made the whole hearing seem rehearsed rather than spontaneous. Bondi’s comments about the Epstein case have already fueled controversy for months. Earlier this year, she told Fox News that the Epstein files were “sitting on my desk right now,” which helped fan public speculation about a supposed secret list of powerful people connected to Epstein.
However, both the Department of Justice and the FBI have repeatedly denied the existence of any “client list” or undisclosed evidence, insisting that all relevant materials have already been reviewed. Whitehouse used his questioning to focus on what the public still doesn’t know — whether any photos, records, or financial links to powerful individuals were ever found or investigated.
Throughout the exchange, Bondi stuck closely to her notes, repeating that there was nothing more to reveal and accusing her critics of spreading falsehoods. But when the photos of her binder started circulating online, the scene looked less like an honest back-and-forth and more like a scripted defense.
Bondi’s supporters were quick to argue that having detailed notes is normal for any official facing tough questioning. They claimed that Democrats were turning the hearing into political theater. But her critics saw it differently — as proof that she came armed not with facts, but with personal attacks and talking points meant to shift blame and distract from real questions about Epstein’s case.
The controversy comes months after Trump and several of his allies demanded that the full Epstein files be released to the public. The Justice Department ultimately refused, stating that there were no additional charges to be brought and no hidden files to unseal. That decision didn’t quiet public suspicion — it made it worse.
Now, Bondi’s visible binder of “zingers” has become a symbol of that lingering distrust. To many, it reinforced the idea that the administration is more focused on managing optics than revealing the truth.
What was supposed to be a hearing about accountability instead turned into a viral moment — a snapshot of the nation’s top law enforcement officer clutching a folder of attack lines while promising transparency that never quite seems to come.
