Reporter’s Notebook: AG Bondi’s binder strategy turns hearing into political firestorm

Overstuffed white folders emerged moments before Attorney General Pam Bondi emerged from her motorcade and entered the horseshoe entrance of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Roll call photographer Tom Williams and I stood in the corridor discussing our positions for Bondi’s entrance. Williams would position himself on the far side. I slid towards the wall closest to the horseshoe entrance. MS NOW’s Ali Vitali and ABC’s Jay O’Brien worked on the sidewall.

A coterie of Bondi’s aides emerged. One got bogged down by huge couplers.

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“Let him enter the room,” the aide instructed.

I politely reminded the aide that the corridor was an open corridor on Capitol Hill. It was not shut down by the US Capitol Police. So asking the Attorney General questions was fair game.

And so began a new dance among reporters, security guards, U.S. Capitol Police, aides and Cabinet members attending key hearings in Congress.

At the time, we had no idea what was inside the folders. But you can’t ignore their magnitude.

It is not uncommon for deputies to carry briefing books for the principal with them when testifying. But no one had seen binders like this since Kinko’s was still in business.

The contents of the files were about to play a central role in Bondi’s testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.

But first thing in the morning was to question Bondi. There was so much going on. These were all matters that the Attorney General could handle.

Speaking of files…

Bondi was not there to testify about the Epstein files. But Democrats and one Republican will make the Justice Department’s release of partially redacted documents the focus of the hearing. So there was a lot to ask Bondi about this.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill and takes questions from Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram ahead of a House hearing. (Tom Williams)

But there were developments from Arizona overnight. Authorities have detained a man near the Mexican border in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. What Bondi knew about the FBI’s role in this case was worthy of questioning.

Then came a cryptic warning that authorities would close El Paso’s airport to all air traffic for ten days. Was there a terrorist threat? Something to do with cartels? Finally, a story emerged overnight that the Justice Department was trying to charge six Democratic lawmakers over videos telling service members that they did not have to obey illegal orders. A District of Columbia grand jury declined to indict any of them.

So the press corps waited for Bondi and her security team to walk through the door. We would have about a minute to pepper him with questions as we walked from the horseshoe entrance to the back waiting room.

Reporters need to be strategic about such short “walks and talks.” Quick, Gatling gun-like questions. Terse. Straight to the point. And if the person arriving on Capitol Hill doesn’t answer or gives a curt answer, he or she is nimble enough to jump on to the next line of inquiry.

In another universe, I might have started with Epstein. But Nancy Guthrie’s story has gripped the nation for weeks. A development took place overnight. Nearly every story on the planet always has a strand somewhere on Capitol Hill. The Nancy Guthrie saga was no exception.

As I walked down the hall, I positioned myself on the inside rail. He is able to approach Bondi as he passes through the building.

“Mr. Attorney General, do you have any comments regarding the Guthrie investigation? Are there any developments on this at this time?” I started by arriving in Bondi first.

“Yeah, I can’t talk about it right now. I’m praying for Savannah and her family,” Bondi replied.

Control. I continue.

“What happened in El Paso? Why did they shut down El Paso? Is this something you don’t know about? Or can’t you comment?” I asked.

“I can’t argue with that,” Bondi responded.

DOJ POWERFUL FIGURES AND EPSTEIN FILES EXPLODE OPEN AS DETAILS OF THE DISCOVERY OF MORE THAN 1,200 VICTIMS

Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies as Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors, left, during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (Tom Brenner/AP Photo)

Then the main event.

“So what about the Epstein files? A lot of members were upset that some of these files weren’t completely redacted. What do you say to that?” I asked.

“We’ll discuss it today,” Bondi replied.

I stood back to give my colleagues a chance to ask questions.

“But why were some information that was contrary to the nature of the law corrected? Why were some information that was contrary to the law corrected?” asked Vitali.

No answer.

So I went back to the initial lines of inquiry and was tagged again.

“Did you receive any updates on the Guthrie investigation overnight? Did they keep you informed about it throughout the night? When did you first hear about the El Paso situation? When did you first hear about the El Paso situation, Mr. Attorney General?”

Bondi was silent.

There was commotion in the corridor; camera operators and reporters were bumping into each other and falling backwards. Half a group of security personnel lightly guarded Bondi.

But the end was near. The crowd approached the back door of the Judiciary Committee. Bondi would soon turn right and disappear inside.

Enough time for one last topic.

“What about the attempt to indict six deputies? Do you have any comments on the failed grand jury indictment?” I shouted.

“I’ll forward that to U.S. Attorney Pirro,” Bondi replied, referring to U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro for the District of Columbia, who sought to indict the six people.

HOW PAM BONDI AND THE DEMOCRATS TURNED A STAND IN FRONT OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S VICTIMS INTO HYSTERIA

The Department of Justice released multiple Epstein documents on December 19, after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

“Do you know why this went wrong?” I asked.

But that’s all. The shot clock is up.

Bondi ignored the question and turned right and retreated to the waiting room with her security team.

When he hosted Meet the Press on NBC, the late host Tim Russert sometimes boasted that he was next to the Vice President or Secretary of State “for the entire hour.”

The interviews with Bondi were a very small part of this and lasted a short time of one minute and three seconds. From 9:42:03 in the morning to 9:43:06 in the evening. There was an effective interrogation. And Bondi answered the questions. But there wasn’t much that moved any of the stories forward. However, it is important to ask questions and capture exchanges on camera. This made it a productive exercise. Sometimes the Capitol press corps doesn’t even see major witnesses arrive. Or if we do, they don’t even answer the questions.

A group of aides burst into the Judiciary Committee room; An assistant was carrying huge files like a pile of Christmas presents.

These dossiers were about to become the most famous dossiers in American politics since former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) declared “the dossiers are full of women” during a 2012 debate with President Obama.

The hearing will start in a few minutes and will be broadcast live on many TV channels. The purpose of the binders quickly became clear. Each folder contained files on every Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. In each case, Bondi turned to a specific section, looking for barbs to hit back at the Democrats on the floor. Sometimes it’s about their voting history. Sometimes it’s about law enforcement in their area or an immigration issue. Bondi frequently lashed out at Democrats and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) with ad hominem attacks. He derided Massie as a “failed politician”. He called Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the panel’s top Democrat, a “worn-out, loser lawyer.”

Republican U.S. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky questions U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Oversight of the Department of Justice” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2026. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty)

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) tried to bait Bondi, asking her to “give me your best shot” at opposition research. The Florida Democrat would later rate what Bondi’s team had prepared.

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The hearing lasted five hours with shouts, screams and mayhem. One of the most chaotic, cacophonous hearings in recent memory. The show spoke volumes.

All of these can add up to a pile of overstuffed skin.