How Pam Bondi Became Internet’s Most Hated Person in 5 Hours | Epstein Files

If you’ve been on social media since the Judiciary Committee hearing of February 11, you know the internet has officially reached a consensus. Pam Bondi missed her calling, and it wasn’t in law. It was an acting audition for Mean Girls. The hearing was supposed to be a sober inquiry into the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, but turned into a five-hour one-woman show that had everyone asking, "Did she pass the Bar or just a very intense audition for Suits Season 10 ?"

Come understand why the Attorney General is currently the internet’s favourite person to roast.

She Said She Fights for Victims. She Wouldn’t Even Face Them.

Several survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse sat directly behind Attorney General Pam Bondi during the hearing. They were invited guests. They were watching the woman who now leads the Justice Department defend decisions tied to a case that reshaped their lives.

In her opening remarks, Bondi called Epstein a “monster” and said, “I’m a career prosecutor and despite what the ranking member said, I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so,” she said. “I am deeply sorry for what any victim has been through, especially as a result of that monster.”

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A post shared by Pramila Jayapal (@pramilajayapal)

Then came the moment that tested those words. Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal asked the survivors to raise their hands if they had not been able to meet with the Justice Department. Every single one raised a hand.

Jayapal then asked Bondi directly, “Will you turn to them now and apologise for what your Department of Justice has put them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein files and their information?”

Bondi, however, did not turn. Instead, she said, “I’m not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics.” That line is now clipped, reposted, and replayed everywhere.

The picture that the internet saw was very clear. They saw an attorney general who had the authority to turn and chose not to in a hearing about accountability. That hesitation was the proof and fed the narrative that when forced to pick a side, Pam Bondi was more comfortable defending the pedophiles in the institution than protecting its victims.

If You Thought the Apology Was a Mess, Wait Till You See the Redaction

Lawmakers and survivors say the Department of Justice under Bondi mishandled the release of the Epstein files in several ways:

1. The files were released after the December 19 deadline set by the transparency law.

2. Names of alleged associates were redacted without a clear legal explanation.

3. Some potentially identifying information and photos of survivors were published.

The backlash was immediate. Thousands of documents were quietly taken down from the department’s Epstein files website after complaints about sloppy redactions. Then, after lawmakers objected that high-profile names had been concealed without legal clarity. The department un-redacted more than a dozen additional names.

The tension regarding the same peaked during an exchange with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who helped write the law requiring the release.

He asked, “Who is responsible?” and “Who in your organisation made this massive failure?” Bondi did not name anyone. She did not announce an internal review or a corrective plan. She responded, “This is a political joke.”In another exchange, she accused Massie of “Trump derangement syndrome” and called him “a failed politician.”

It left people wondering if this was really the level of argument coming from the Attorney General.

The Andrew Mountbatten Windsor Moment

The hearing also touched on one of the most explosive international names tied to Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Rep. Ted Lieu displayed a photo from the released files showing Mountbatten Windsor on all fours, hovering over a female. Lieu asked why the photos had not been used to prosecute him.

Bondi replied by asking why Lieu did not bring those questions to former Attorney General Merrick Garland. It was another moment where a direct question met a sideways answer.

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A post shared by Rep. Ted Lieu (@reptedlieu)

Why the Internet Is Erupting

The Epstein case is not just another internet catfight. It is a global human trafficking scandal involving powerful men, elite networks, and young girls whose abuse spanned years and continents.

When the Attorney General of the United States says she fights for victims, but still does not turn around to face them and deflects direct questions about accountability. It raisesa basic question about who she is really protecting?

Is the hate exaggerated? Probably. The internet always is. Is it understandable? Also yes.

Views expressed by the author are their own.