Tensions flared Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing after questions about former President Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein led to a heated exchange between Attorney General Pam Bondi and several Democratic senators.

The confrontation began when Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) asked Bondi about "suspicious activity reports" connected to Trump and Epstein, referring to long-standing rumors about their past friendship and possible financial links, TMZ reported.

Bondi dodged the question, instead accusing Whitehouse of raising the issue to distract from his own alleged campaign donations from one of Epstein's former associates.

The hearing quickly turned combative as Whitehouse pressed further, asking if the FBI had recovered photos of Trump with young women from Epstein's files.

Bondi bristled, accusing the senator of spreading "salacious claims" and attempting to "slander the president."

She refused to confirm or deny whether such materials existed, repeating that she would not "discuss ongoing investigative matters."

Dick Durbin Grills Pam Bondi on Trump-Epstein Files

The two were acquaintances for years in Palm Beach social circles before reportedly falling out in the mid-2000s.

In 2002, Trump had once described Epstein to New York Magazine as "a terrific guy" who "likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."

Later in the hearing, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) confronted Bondi over a Justice Department order that reportedly told FBI agents to flag any Epstein-related records mentioning Trump.

"Who gave the order to flag records related to President Trump?" Durbin asked. Bondi refused to answer, saying, "I'm not going to discuss anything about that with you, senator."

According to CNBC, Durbin pushed back, warning, "Eventually you're going to have to answer for your conduct in this, you won't do it today, but eventually you will."

Durbin also questioned Bondi about her earlier comments claiming she had a "client list" from Epstein's files on her desk.

Bondi clarified that there was "no Epstein client list," citing a Justice Department and FBI memo released in July that concluded Epstein acted alone and died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.

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Donald trump, Jeffrey Epstein