CULVER CITY, Calif. (KABC) — The mayor of Culver City is responding to comments made by Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testified before the House Judiciary Committee amid multiple controversies, including the government’s handling of the Epstein files.

In a fiery exchange at the beginning of Wednesday’s hearing, Bondi refused to interact with a group of Epstein survivors sitting just a few rows behind her while she was grilled over her handling of the investigation.

In her opening statement, Bondi expressed support for the victims.

“I am deeply sorry for what any victim — any victim — has been through, especially as a result of that monster,” Bondi said to the Epstein survivors.

Bondi declined to apologize to the women for the Department of Justice’s initial failure to redact all victims name’s from the documents that were released.

Meanwhile, Bondi came to the hearing with a book of research on the committee members who were questioning her, and she used it frequently to lob insults at members while refusing to directly answer questions.

One such exchange with California Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove brought Culver City into the conversation.

“There are violent, dangerous people out here with real threats, and the dishonesty from your agency comes from the covering up of these threats that could hurt American people and put our lives at risk. Do better,” Kamlager-Dove said.

Before another lawmaker started their comments, Bondi asked for a chance to speak.

“Her district includes Culver City and she’s not talking about any crime in her district, nothing about helping crime in her district. She’s not even worth getting into the details,” Bondi said.

Mayor Freddy Puzacc responded to Bondi’s statement in a post on Instagram and pointed out the declining crime rate in his city.

“The facts simply do not support the Attorney General’s narrative from today’s Congressional hearing. We welcome the correction from the federal Department of Justice, but we won’t hold our breath,” Puzacc said.

ABC News contributed to this report.


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