House Speaker Rebukes DOJ Over Tracking Lawmakers' Epstein File Searches

House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly called the Justice Department's tracking of lawmakers' search histories inappropriate after photographs from the Feb. 11, 2026 House Judiciary Committee hearing showed a printout labeled "Jayapal Pramila Search History," according to lawmakers and photos.

The tracking allegation emerged as lawmakers began reviewing 3.5 million pages released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act while roughly 2.5 million pages remained withheld, a process conducted on four DOJ-owned computers at a Justice Department annex, records show.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal said she discovered the DOJ had recorded her search history only after being told by reporters and called the printed list "totally unacceptable," while Attorney General Pam Bondi defended DOJ redactions and said the department logs searches to protect victim information, a DOJ spokesperson said.

House Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, requested that the DOJ Inspector General open an inquiry and demanded DOJ stop tracking searches and allow senior congressional staff access, while some Republicans including Rep. Nancy Mace and Rep. Thomas Massie also confirmed observing document tagging, officials and statements show.

Congressional leaders demanded immediate changes as the review involves millions of pages and the DOJ's letter to lawmakers said it would "keep a log of the dates and times of all members' reviews," with lawmakers planning further legal and oversight actions in coming days.