Tempers flared on Capitol Hill when Attorney General Pam Bondi traded barbs with Democratic lawmakers during a tense House Judiciary Committee hearing.
What began as questioning about the Justice Department’s handling of matters related to Jeffrey Epstein quickly spiraled into one of the most talked-about moments of the day.
At the center of it was Rep. Jamie Raskin, the panel’s top Democrat.
The clash
As Democrats accused Bondi of avoiding direct answers, Raskin warned the attorney general not to filibuster and pressed her to respond to the substance of the questions.
Bondi fired back.
“You don’t tell me anything,” she shot toward the congressman.
Moments later, she escalated further, calling him a “washed-up loser lawyer.”
She then added, “Not even a lawyer.”
Gasps and overlapping voices filled the room as members attempted to regain order.
How things unraveled
The exchange followed repeated frustration from Democrats who argued that Bondi was pivoting away from their inquiries about possible investigations tied to Epstein and other issues surrounding the department.
Bondi, meanwhile, accused some lawmakers of trying to bait her.
At several points during the hearing, she appealed to Republican Chairman Jim Jordan, saying she would not “get in the gutter.”
But the temperature continued to rise.
Democrats push back
After the insult, Democratic members spoke over one another, accusing the attorney general of wasting their limited questioning time.
Some demanded she retract the comment.
Others tried to redirect the conversation back to the investigation itself.
The back-and-forth became one of the defining visuals of the hearing, quickly spreading across social media within minutes.
A moment that may linger
Congressional hearings are often tense, but direct personal insults between senior officials are rare.
Whether the confrontation changes anything about the underlying investigation remains to be seen.
What is certain: this brief exchange ensured the hearing would be remembered for more than policy debate.
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