House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi for tracking lawmakers’ search history in unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files, calling it “inappropriate” and a violation of separation of powers. Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal said she didn’t know the Justice Department was monitoring her searches until CNN contacted her. The incident raised concerns about the government’s access to sensitive information and how lawmakers’ search history could be used against them. Lawmakers are seeking a different process for reviewing unredacted files without fear of surveillance.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/12/politics/doj-monitoring-lawmaker-epstein-files-searches