Justice Department Admits It Logged Lawmakers' Searches of the Unredacted Epstein Files

The Justice Department acknowledged on February 12, 2026 that it logs search activity when members of Congress review unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files on department systems. The practice surfaced the previous day when Attorney General Pam Bondi was photographed holding a document titled "Jayapal Pramila Search History." The department said, "DOJ logs all searches made on its systems to protect against the release of victim information." Democrats whose searches were tracked included Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Jamie Raskin, Robert Garcia, Mary Gay Scanlon and Suhas Subramanyam.

Congress's oversight function depends on members being able to examine executive branch records without the executive branch compiling a record of what they looked for. The department's stated victim-protection rationale and the fact that the log was in the Attorney General's hands in a photographed briefing document are the two facts in tension here.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the tracking was "not appropriate," called it a possible oversight and said he would raise it with the department. Jayapal said the practice violated separation of powers and described Bondi's document as a "burn book." No formal investigation or legal action was reported in the sources reviewed.