Body language expert analyzes Pam Bondi's movements in hearing: 'Hint at suppressed anger'

Pam Bondi did her best to look authoritative when giving a statement during a hearing on the Epstein files, according to a body language expert.

The Attorney General appeared to wag her finger and interrupt questions from the panel during her testimony, which expert Judi James believes is a sign of Bondi trying to maintain control. Speaking to The Mirror US, James suggested Bondi had tried to address not the question, but the power dynamic in the room.

She said, "The body language in these photos would suggest primarily authority and a desire to register some form of control of a transaction.

"The extended arm with the raised index finger is a powerful method of registering authority or to make a point with clarity, especially when teamed with an emphatic-looking eye contact. Her chin is raised in one pose and the head tilted back, which can often project confidence and superior status.

"When she folds her arms, the gesture does not look like the kind of self-protective, self-diminishing barrier signal that you would get when someone's hands are tucked into their torso. Instead, Bondi's arm-fold is more elegant, and her hands rest calmly on her biceps, which is a classic pose of confidence adopted by experts and intellectuals."

Bondi flipped between calm and enraged through her three-hour testimony, and James believes the erratic nature of Bondi's appearance highlights a fury with the questions she was asked.

James said, "What looks like her listening pose here, with her hand held to her chin, suggests forensic listening and evaluation. The hair-smoothing ritual suggests a projection of a calm, unflustered approach.

"There is what looks like a tightening of the top lip in one photo although it might be a moment or enunciation rather than a gesture. A sustained tightened top lip can sometimes give a look of frustration or appear to hint at suppressed anger."