Pam Bondi Says Ghislaine Maxwell Should ‘Die in Prison’

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told House lawmakers on Friday that Ghislaine Maxwell should “die in prison” as Congress continues to look into how the government handled records related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi made this statement during a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee, according to the New York Post. Lawmakers questioned her for about four hours as part of their inquiry into the Justice Department’s release of Epstein-related files and the management of information related to his sex trafficking case.

When asked if Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, should get clemency, Bondi firmly rejected the idea.

“She should die in prison,” Bondi stated, according to the Post.

Bondi also called Maxwell “very evil” and said that women who assist men in exploiting young victims deserve severe punishment.

Maxwell, 63, is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. A jury found her guilty in December 2021 on five counts for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein. A federal judge sentenced her in June 2022.

At that time, the Justice Department noted that Maxwell helped Epstein target vulnerable girls from 1994 to 2004. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said after the sentencing that this punishment held Maxwell accountable for “heinous crimes against children.”

In October, the Supreme Court declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal, leaving her conviction and sentence intact.

Her lawyers argued that Epstein’s 2007 nonprosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida should have protected her from prosecution in New York. Lower courts dismissed that argument.

Maxwell’s legal options have shrunk since the Supreme Court decision. A presidential pardon or commutation is now one of the few remaining ways to shorten her sentence.

This issue has gained new attention because Maxwell has tried to present herself as a possible witness in the Epstein case. Her lawyer claimed she would fully testify if granted clemency, according to the Post. Previously, Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right during a February deposition with the House Oversight Committee.

Bondi’s interview took place as lawmakers from both parties continue to seek more information about Epstein’s network and how the federal government managed the case. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

The Oversight Committee has pursued records and testimony related to Epstein for several months. Members have also raised questions about why some documents remain unreleased and whether the Justice Department properly handled sensitive material, including information about victims.

During her interview on Friday, Bondi defended the department’s handling of the files, according to the Post. She mentioned that the department had released millions of pages of records and had only withheld documents that were privileged, duplicative, or not relevant.

The case has kept a politically charged atmosphere because Epstein had connections with wealthy and powerful individuals for years. President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton have both faced renewed scrutiny over their past ties to Epstein, although both have denied any wrongdoing.

The White House has stated that clemency for Maxwell is not on the table, according to the Post.

Maxwell is currently held at a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas. Her transfer to the facility drew attention from lawmakers after she met with then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in 2025.

Bondi’s comments on Friday clearly opposed any efforts to shorten Maxwell’s sentence.

“Hopefully,” Bondi said, according to the Post, “she dies in prison.”