Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., sharply rejected allegations from Attorney General Pam Bondi that he received campaign contributions from Reid Hoffman, a tech billionaire who Bondi described as one of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's "closest confidants."
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Bondi accused Whitehouse of taking money from Hoffman after the senator pressed her about the Justice Department's review of suspicious financial transactions linked to Epstein.
"You took money, I believe — did you — from Reid Hoffman, one of Epstein's closest confidants not only once but twice in 2018 and 2024," Bondi claimed.
Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn and a partner at the Silicon Valley venture firm Greylock Partners, is a major donor to Democrats. In recent years, Hoffman has faced scrutiny for his past association with Epstein, though he has apologized for attending events hosted by Epstein and denied any knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities.
Whitehouse did not immediately respond during the hearing, instead asking Bondi, "There's been public reporting that Jeffrey Epstein showed people photos of President [Donald] Trump with half-naked young women."
"Do you know if the FBI found those photographs in their search of Jeffrey Epstein's safe or premises or otherwise?"
Bondi responded by accusing Whitehouse of attempting to "slander" Trump with his line of questioning.
Whitehouse later directed his staff to verify Bondi's accusation about Hoffman. His campaign finance records, he said, show no contributions from the billionaire.
"Her suggestion that I had received campaign contributions from this alleged Epstein close confidante simply isn't true," Whitehouse told CNN's Erin Burnett Tuesday night.
"All they had to do was look at my public campaign finance reports and see that this individual appears on them nowhere."
Whitehouse briefly left the hearing room after Bondi's accusation but returned later, seeking to correct the record. His attempt was blocked by Committee Chair Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., who denied his request for a point of personal privilege.
Speaking with The Hill, Whitehouse said Bondi's remarks were "certainly misleading the committee."
Bondi, who served as Florida's attorney general during portions of Epstein's earlier legal troubles, appeared before the Judiciary Committee to answer questions about how the Justice Department handled financial investigations tied to the late financier.
Whitehouse, the second-most-senior Democrat on the panel, said he wanted to set the record straight after what he called a "false and salacious" attack.
"No amount of political theater changes the facts," Whitehouse said. "Reid Hoffman never contributed to my campaign — period."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.