Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday expressed considerations with the Division of Justice’s monitoring of lawmakers’ search historical past of the unredacted Jeffrey Epstein information, although he questioned whether or not the surveillance was intentional or a mistake — though the info was compiled for the lawyer normal’s analysis binder at Wednesday’s Home Judiciary listening to.
“I don’t suppose it’s acceptable for anyone to be monitoring that. So, I’ll echo that to anybody within the DOJ. And I’m positive it was an oversight, that’s my guess, OK?” Johnson mentioned.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson speaks within the Rayburn Reception Room after formally unveiling the Frederick Douglass Press Gallery on the Capitol, Feb. 12, 2026.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Pictures
On Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of “spying” on her search history when the congresswoman visited the Division of Justice earlier this week to view unredacted files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Since Monday, lawmakers have been allowed to go to the DOJ to evaluation the unredacted information on 4 laptop kiosks.
Pictures from Reuters from a House Judiciary Committee hearing at which Bondi appeared on Wednesday present printouts titled: “Jayapal Pramila Search Historical past” and embrace a diagram of a number of paperwork from the DOJ’s Epstein information that Jayapal searched.
The Justice Division on Thursday afternoon mentioned that in the course of the evaluation of the unredacted Epstein information, “DOJ logs all searches made on its methods to guard in opposition to the discharge of sufferer data.” The DOJ didn’t provide any rationalization for why Bondi had a printout of Jayapal’s search historical past.
U.S. Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi holds a bit of paper labelled “Jayapal Pramila Search Historical past”, in reference to U.S. Consultant Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), a member of the Home Judiciary Committee, in the course of the committee’s listening to on oversight of the Justice Division, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 11, 2026.
Kent Nishimura/Reuters
Johnson, who obtained Jayapal’s account of the episode in a telephone name with the congresswoman Wednesday night, added that members ought to “have the suitable” to view information at “their very own pace and with their very own discretion.”
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace additionally mentioned she believed the DOJ was monitoring her as she carried out her evaluation of the unredacted paperwork.
Throughout the aisle, Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries mentioned he was not shocked that the DOJ tracked their search historical past “as a result of the bar is so low.”
“There isn’t any backside for the Trump administration, for Pam Bondi, for the opposite sycophants who’re a part of this corrupt administration,” Jeffries mentioned on Thursday.
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz mentioned every lawmaker who critiques the unredacted Epstein information receives a particular login to signal on to a pc to see the paperwork — as a substitute of terminals which are open to make use of, which Moscowitz referred to as “suspicious.”
“I imply, I am not embarrassed that the paperwork I used to be taking a look at, so I do not know that it is a large gotcha. However it’s inappropriate. We should always have been knowledgeable of that,” Moskowitz mentioned.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz holds up a Trump Bible as he questions Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi within the Home Judiciary Committee on the Capitol, Feb. 11, 2026.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Jayapal advised reporters on Thursday that there “must be a complete new course of” the place lawmakers are assured that the Division of Justice “is just not spying on us and retaining our search histories after which utilizing it in opposition to us.”
“Surveilling us and spying on us after which utilizing it in a ‘burn guide’ binder in opposition to us, is totally unacceptable, and so the method has to alter immediately,” Jayapal advised ABC Information Capitol Hill Correspondent Jay O’Brien. “They can’t save our search histories. They can’t spy on us, and that is what we’re demanding.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal listens throughout a listening to earlier than the Home Democratic Steering and Coverage Committee on the Capitol, Feb. 12, 2026.
Alex Wong/Getty Pictures
Jayapal mentioned there “must be accountability,” including Democrats are “taking a look at all of the choices for that.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the rating Democrat on the committee main the Bondi listening to Wednesday, mentioned in a press release that he plans to ask the DOJ’s inspector normal to launch an inquiry into the matter.
Jayapal mentioned she would welcome Republican collaboration within the course of.
“I believe that there are a number of Republicans that do not like this. They had been additionally spied on after they went and so I hope that this generally is a bipartisan effort to say that is completely inappropriate. It has to cease,” she mentioned.
However the chairman who presided over Wednesday’s listening to, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, dismissed considerations that the DOJ monitored lawmakers’ search historical past.
“I imply come on, it’s fairly wealthy. It is fairly wealthy to listen to the complaints after, after what the DOJ has carried out to Republican members of Congress beneath Jack Smith,” Jordan mentioned, referencing “Arctic Frost,” which captured telephone logs of a number of Republicans.
Jordan contended that the DOJ had his telephone data for 2 and a half years, in addition to former Speaker of the Home Kevin McCarthy.
“They knew who the speaker was calling earlier than votes, who he was calling after votes, when the decision occurred, how lengthy it lasted, the place he was at,” Jordan mentioned. “And now they’re elevating this challenge? Like, OK.”
Jayapal urged Republicans to “be constant about this.”
“I’ve labored with a number of colleagues throughout the aisle, together with Chairman Jordan, on [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] and surveillance. This can be a prime instance of that,” she mentioned.
