Michael Barbaro

But very quickly, they become disenchanted with this release.

Feeling that they haven't actually learned anything new from it.

And as with the indictments that President Trump wants,

Here comes Bondi making a big show, making big promises, and not delivering.

And this causes more agita within the conservative base and on Capitol Hill, and ultimately leads to Republicans and Democrats joining together through legislation to force the Department of Justice to release all of the Epstein files.

This is a problem for President Trump politically.

Indeed.

And it's also, Michael, one of the first times Republicans on Capitol Hill really stand up to the president and disobey his demands to not support this legislation.

And what's so striking about what Bondi did with those self-inflicted wounds is that she didn't have to do it.

The president wasn't asking her to do it.

It wasn't like the indictments.

This was something she kind of did on her own initiative.

And it really, really backfired spectacularly.

Right.

And Michael, this entire episode around Epstein has really put Pam Bondi in the hot seat, so much so that Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff and a longtime ally of Pam Bondi from their time in Florida, told Vanity Fair in an interview that Bondi completely whiffed in her handling of the Epstein files.

And the pressure never relented from Capitol Hill and culminated in a hearing a few weeks ago where lawmakers from both parties grilled her on her handling of the investigation.

And overall, Michael, it did not go very well for Pam Bondi.

We'll be right back.

So, Tyler, remind us about this congressional hearing in which things go from not so good already for Pam Bondi to worse.

In this hearing, it's on full display how much animosity there is toward her in her handling of this investigation.