House Democrats Seek Prison Visit Over Ghislaine Maxwell Perk Allegations

Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to let them visit the minimum‑security federal prison in Texas holding Ghislaine Maxwell and to interview the warden, citing whistleblower reports that Maxwell is receiving preferential treatment. In a letter viewed by The New York Times, they say more than a dozen whistleblowers allege Maxwell has been allowed to use a laptop unsupervised and given bottled water while other inmates drink tap, and that at least one employee was fired after reporting her treatment to Congress in what would be an illegal act of retaliation. The lawmakers also quote documents indicating Warden Tanisha Hall threatened inmates who complained about Maxwell with solitary confinement or transfer to distant mixed‑sex prisons in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and warned them not to look at or speak to the press. If confirmed, the claims would raise fresh questions about favoritism and intimidation inside the Bureau of Prisons in a politically explosive case already under scrutiny because of Jeffrey Epstein’s death and earlier lapses in federal custody. The request sets up a direct oversight confrontation with Bondi’s Justice Department over access to the facility and protection for would‑be whistleblowers.