Bondi Lies to Congress, Tells Them Maxwell Wasn’t Transferred to a Lower-Level Facility

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Pam Bondi falsely claimed in sworn testimony before Congress on Wednesday that Jeffrey Epstein’s partner in child sex trafficking was not transferred to a “lower-level” prison, even though her Justice Department moved Ghislaine Maxwell to a “Club Fed”-type facility last summer.

Days after meeting with Bondi’s deputy and former Donald Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche, Maxwell was transferred from Tallahassee, Florida, to the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas. Tallahassee is a low-security prison, but FPC Bryan is an even more relaxed “minimum security” facility and is generally intended for non-violent white-collar criminals in their final months of captivity.

Bondi, like all witnesses who appear before Congress, began his testimony by agreeing to answer questions truthfully “under penalty of perjury” at the beginning of his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.

Justice Department officials did not respond to News themezone’s questions about Bondi’s false statement, which came amid angry testimony that included attacks on interrogators and a claim that questions about the now-deceased Epstein were inappropriate given the strong performance of the stock market.

Bondi’s response came in response to a question from North Carolina Democratic committeewoman Deborah Ross, who asked her: “Does a convicted sex offender like Ghislaine Maxwell deserve special treatment in prison and special privileges in prison?”

Bondi responded: “I didn’t know they were going to move her and they didn’t move her to a lower level facility.”

Later, he repeated twice, falsely, that Maxwell was transferred to a prison of the “same level.”

It is unclear how Bondi could not have known about the transfer, given that the Bureau of Prisons falls under his agency’s purview, and his “same level” claim is demonstrably false. Even in a low-security prison like the Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution, inmates sleep in cells behind tall, sharp fences. There is a section in Bryan without any fence, and the inmates sleep in dormitories.

One former inmate told News themezone that Maxwell received special privileges there beyond those other inmates receive, such as access to her favorite drink, grapefruit juice, the opportunity to play with puppies, and assistance from the warden to help her fill out paperwork for her appeal.

Maxwell herself told a family member after her midnight move that she was delighted with her new home.

“The food is much better, the place is clean, the staff attentive and polite. I have not seen or heard the usual foul language or shouting accompanied by threats directed at inmates by anyone,” he wrote a week after his arrival. “I feel like I’ve fallen through Alice’s looking glass in Wonderland. I’m much, much happier here and, more importantly, I’m safe.”

New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Bondi attempted to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey as part of the president’s ongoing campaign of retaliation against his critics and political opponents for allegedly lying to Congress. That accusation, however, was dismissed because a federal judge determined that the prosecutor Trump had personally chosen for the task was illegally appointed.

It is unclear whether Bondi will ever face a consequence for Wednesday’s falsehood. The normal process for Congress to hold witnesses who lie to them accountable is to refer them to the Justice Department, which Bondi runs, for prosecution.

Epstein, a longtime friend of Trump, died by apparent suicide in 2019, a month after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was arrested the following year, found guilty at trial in late 2021, and in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

On Monday, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself during a video conference appearance before the House Oversight Committee. Her lawyer said she would be willing to answer all of her questions honestly if Trump granted her clemency.

Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out pardoning Maxwell when asked over the course of a year.