Massie says he's lost confidence in Pam Bondi after congressional hearing
Massie said Bondi failed to answer his questions and called for the Justice Department to comply with the disclosure law.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
Yahoo News is an established national digital news publisher, and the article identifies its author. The page shows no clear reproduction attribution, though the text alone offers limited evidence about the publisher’s corrections practices or reporting process.
- Source type — Established national digital news publisher; institutional credibility is solid but not at the level of a major wire service or newspaper of record.
- Author attribution — The article names an author.
- Editorial standards — The article presents claims and quotations in a conventional news format, but the text provides little detail about verification or editorial process.
- Correction history — No correction information is evident in the article.
The article includes attributed remarks from Massie and a statement from Wexner’s representative, along with details about the law and Bondi’s report. It gives little direct response from Bondi to the criticisms and provides limited independent context for the disputed redactions and prosecution decisions.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article explains Massie’s objections and Bondi’s stated justification for redactions, and includes Wexner’s representative’s account. It does not include a direct response from Bondi to Massie’s criticisms, so one perspective predominates.
- Counterarguments presented — Bondi’s report and its reliance on deliberative-process privilege are described, but her response to Massie’s criticism is not included.
- Source diversity — The article includes Massie, Bondi’s written explanation, and Wexner’s representative, but little independent expert or agency perspective.
- Loaded language — Some critical descriptions of Bondi’s hearing behavior appear, but the story mainly reports attributed claims and quotations.
The article’s language is mostly straight news, though it gives substantial space to Massie’s criticisms and reports negatively framed details about Bondi’s conduct. The framing does not establish a clear ideological lean.
- Language tone — Mostly factual, with some critical characterizations of Bondi’s hearing conduct.
- Source selection — Massie’s criticism is prominent; the article also includes Bondi’s stated basis for redactions and a statement from Wexner’s representative.
- Framing — The story centers Massie’s loss of confidence and the dispute over disclosure, without an explicit partisan argument.
Republished
Republished from Politico. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.
229 stories · 80–81 · updated Oct 13, 2026
This is Politico's own score, and this article is credited to Politico. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.
Rep. Thomas Massie said he had lost confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi after a contentious hearing about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files. He said Bondi did not answer his questions and argued that the department’s redactions may violate the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Massie said Bondi failed to answer his questions during a House Judiciary Committee hearing and criticized her for attacking lawmakers who challenged her. The article reports that Bondi cited deliberative-process privilege in a report to Congress about redactions under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Massie said the law requires disclosure of internal records about decisions to investigate or prosecute.
Massie also said questions remained about the Justice Department’s decision not to prosecute Leslie Wexner. The article says Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna had identified Wexner among names initially redacted in the files; Wexner’s representative said he had cooperated with investigators and was never a target. Massie criticized Bondi for not meeting with victims who attended the hearing and said the law was intended to help them obtain justice.
Community verdict
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People in this story
SWIPE →Representative who criticized Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files
Attorney general whose hearing conduct and handling of Epstein-file redactions Massie criticized
Bondi's version of this story ↗Representative who asked Bondi to apologize to victims attending the hearing
President mentioned by Massie while saying the law was about justice for survivors, not political figures
Representative who worked with Massie on the Epstein Files Transparency Act and reviewed unredacted files
Part of a bigger story
5 OUTLETSThomas Massie discussed the Epstein files in an interview with Politico. Center outlets focus on Massie's loss of confidence in Pam Bondi after a hearing and his claim that redactions may violate disclosure law. Right-leaning outlets focus on his offer to exchange a vote for public praise, generally framing it as evidence of self-interest; Fox News also includes a defender.
- ARTICLES
- 5
- OUTLETS
- 5
- AVG CRED
- 56
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