Pam Bondi is caught 'SPYING' on lawmakers reviewing Epstein files
Bondi’s photographed notes prompted Mace to question whether lawmakers’ file searches were being monitored.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Daily Mail, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The Daily Mail is an established publisher with named authors, but its tabloid presentation and sensational headline warrant a moderate rather than high institutional score. The page identifies its reporter and provides some attributed statements, though this story offers limited independent corroboration.
- Source type — An established international news publisher, tempered by a tabloid style.
- Author attribution — A named reporter and reporting role are given.
- Editorial standards — The sensational headline and limited corroboration reduce confidence in the presentation.
The article includes attributed remarks from Mace, Bondi and Trump and provides context about congressional access to the files. It does not include a response from the Justice Department addressing the surveillance allegation or independently establish what Bondi’s notes represented.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The story presents Mace’s allegation and criticism at length and includes Bondi’s hearing remarks and Trump’s defense. It does not provide a direct Justice Department response or establish whether the notes reflect an effort to monitor lawmakers.
- Counterarguments presented — Bondi’s hearing remarks and Trump’s support appear, but neither directly addresses the search-history allegation.
- Source diversity — The story quotes Mace, Bondi and Trump but offers no independent or Justice Department explanation of the notes.
- Loaded language — The headline’s “caught ‘SPYING’” wording presents the allegation in a strongly charged frame.
The headline’s “caught spying” framing treats an allegation as a strong possibility, and the story emphasizes criticism of Bondi’s hearing performance. It also includes Bondi’s remarks and Trump’s defense, but the overall presentation is more critical of the administration.
- Headline — “Caught ‘SPYING’” gives the allegation a sensational and accusatory frame.
- Language tone — The article highlights Mace’s criticism and describes Bondi’s hearing response as a pivot.
- Source selection — Mace’s allegation receives substantial attention, although Bondi and Trump are also quoted.
Republished
Republished from Daily Mail. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.
454 stories · 54–55 · updated Oct 12, 2026
This is Daily Mail's own score, and this article is credited to Daily Mail. The host score in the Source Check is Daily Mail's.
Nancy Mace said the Justice Department may be monitoring lawmakers after Attorney General Pam Bondi was photographed with notes appearing to show a member’s search history. The article also describes Bondi’s response at a House hearing and President Donald Trump’s public support for her.
Mace said at a Thursday press conference that Bondi should testify about notes photographed during a Wednesday House Judiciary Committee hearing. The notes appeared to include the search history of lawmakers reviewing redacted Epstein files, and an image was labeled with Representative Pramila Jayapal’s name. The article reports that Jayapal’s searches included phrases from the files and an Epstein victim list.
The article says Congress members had first been allowed to review unredacted files on Monday, after the Justice Department released more than three million files the previous month; it adds that an estimated three million remained unreleased. Mace criticized Bondi for discussing the Dow during the hearing, while Bondi said Americans’ retirement savings were “booming.” Trump later praised Bondi’s performance at the hearing in a Truth Social post.
Community verdict
24 VOTES
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SWIPE →Attorney General whose hearing notes prompted Mace’s accusation and who discussed the stock market during the hearing
Representative who accused the Justice Department of monitoring lawmakers and called for Bondi to testify
Mace's version of this story ↗
Representative whose search history was identified in the photographed notes
President who publicly praised Bondi’s performance
Part of a bigger story
27 OUTLETSAt a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Pam Bondi defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files as lawmakers questioned her about redactions, disclosures and the department’s process. Left-leaning outlets focus on allegations of mishandling, shielding powerful figures and Bondi’s confrontational responses. Center outlets mostly recount clashes and specific questions about redactions, victim information and file access, often including both Bondi’s defense and lawmakers’ challenges. Right-leaning outlets foreground clashes with Democratic lawmakers and often cast their questioning as partisan, while some emphasize Bondi’s defenses or Republican criticism of the Biden-era Justice Department.
- ARTICLES
- 105
- OUTLETS
- 27
- AVG CRED
- 65
- Yahoo News · Pam Bondi Roasted By Lawmakers For Bringing A 'Mean Girls'-Like 'Burn Book' To Hearing
- The Mary Sue · Pam Bondi stresses there is 'no evidence' of Trump committing a crime, but Ted Lieu has the paperwork to prove her wrong
- Hartford Courant · Rep. Jayapal demands DOJ ends tracking of lawmakers' Epstein files review
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