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Staff from nan House oversight and judiciary committees visited nan Texas situation wherever Ghislaine Maxwell, nan longtime subordinate of Jeffrey Epstein, is serving her sentence, according to Democratic lawmakers.
In a statement, Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, Democratic representatives, said unit from nan committees traveled to nan minimum information national situation campy successful Bryan, Texas, connected Tuesday to activity answers astir Maxwell’s transportation there, and astir allegations that she has received preferential curen astatine nan situation camp.
According to nan Democratic lawmakers, situation unit provided nan committee unit pinch “an extended circuit of nan grounds and programming of nan facility”.
However, nan lawmakers claimed that nan “Bureau of Prisons activity many times unopen down our lines of questioning aliases could not supply basal accusation astir our cardinal concerns, including Ms. Maxwell’s bonzer treatment, allegations of intersexual battle astatine nan facility, and retaliation against inmates who tried to rustle nan whistle.”
“We besides person superior concerns astir nan accuracy and veracity of accusation received by our investigative staff” nan lawmakers said, adding that their investigation would continue.
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.
Maxwell is presently serving a 20-year situation condemnation for her domiciled successful Epstein’s activity trafficking scheme. Last summer, she was transferred from a national situation successful Florida to nan minimum information Bryan situation camp, which houses astir 635 female inmates.
The move came astir a week aft Maxwell was interviewed by then-deputy lawyer general, Todd Blanche, astir nan Epstein case. The question and reply occurred amid mounting governmental and nationalist unit connected nan Trump management for much transparency astir nan Epstein lawsuit and to merchandise much records related to nan precocious convicted activity offender.
Maxwell’s transportation sparked backlash, particularly from Democrats who noted that convicted activity offenders are mostly placed by nan BOP successful debased information prisons, specified arsenic nan Florida situation wherever Maxwell had antecedently been held, alternatively than minimum-security facilities.
Speaking to CNN this week, Garcia said that nan prison’s prison guard told nan committee unit during nan sojourn connected Tuesday that Maxwell is nan “only of nan 600 positive women that are there, she is nan only convicted activity offender astatine that facility, and he could not reply and does not cognize why she was really moved there.”
Garcia besides said that nan unit were not granted entree to Maxwell during nan visit.
“Uniformly, by nan way, each nan unit came backmost pinch nan aforesaid conclusion, which is that this is simply a park-like campus, and Ghislaine Maxwell should not beryllium there” he added.
Blanche has defended nan transfer, arguing that it was basal for Maxwell’s safety, citing threats against her.
The legislature sojourn this week follows a November letter Raskin sent to Donald Trump, successful which he said that nan judiciary committee had received accusation from a whistleblower alleging that Maxwell had been receiving favorable curen astatine nan Texas facility.
In nan letter, Raskin asked nan president whether he had directed Blanche aliases “anyone other successful your Administration to supply Ms. Maxwell pinch nan transportation to nan situation camp, favorable and preferential curen successful prison, aliases typical accommodations for her communications and relationship pinch her family and nan extracurricular world”, among different questions.
Among the allegations were claims that Maxwell received custom-prepared meals, that her guests were permitted to bring computers, and that she had entree to a puppy and more.
At nan time, nan Bureau of Prisons said successful a statement that “allegations of misconduct, including immoderate proposal of preferential treatment, are taken earnestly and thoroughly investigated” done soul processes. It added that violations of this argumentation tin consequence successful disciplinary action that tin see firing and prosecution.
The BOP’s standards of worker behaviour “explicitly prohibits each unit from providing preferential curen to immoderate inmate”, nan agency said.
In January, Raskin and Garcia sent different letter, this clip to then-attorney wide Pam Bondi, calling connected her to let them to sojourn nan Texas situation campy and to question and reply nan warden.
In nan letter, they said much than a twelve whistleblowers had travel guardant pinch accounts of Maxwell’s curen and different alleged incidents astatine nan facility.
The lawmakers said that among nan allegations were claims that Maxwell had been allowed to usage a laptop without supervision, that she was capable to support much individual and ineligible possessions than different inmates, that she is provided bottled h2o while different inmates drank pat water, and that she has been granted entree to staff-only areas to watch tv alone.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David O Markus, successful January rejected nan allegations that Maxwell was receiving preferential treatment.
In a connection to nan New York Times, he said that “the norm of rule matters astir erstwhile it protects nan slightest celebrated defendant” adding that “humane curen isn’t typical treatment, and governmental situation tours don’t move nan state forward.”
