US House staff visit Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison after claims of laptop and puppy

In this 25 June 2013, file photo, Ghislaine Maxwell, founder of the TerraMar Project, attends a news conference on ocean sustainability goals, at United Nations headquarters. Photograph: Rick Bajornas/AP View image in fullscreen In this 25 June 2013, file photo, Ghislaine Maxwell, founder of the TerraMar Project, attends a news conference on ocean sustainability goals, at United Nations headquarters. Photograph: Rick Bajornas/AP US House staff visit Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison after claims of laptop and puppy Epstein associate’s lawyer rejected preferential treatment claims in January, saying ‘humane treatment isn’t special’ Staff from the House oversight and judiciary committees visited the Texas prison where Ghislaine Maxwell , the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein , is serving her sentence, according to Democratic lawmakers. In a statement , Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, Democratic representatives, said staff from the committees traveled to the minimum security federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, on Tuesday to seek answers about Maxwell’s transfer there, and about allegations that she has received preferential treatment at the prison camp. According to the Democratic lawmakers, prison staff provided the committee staff with “an extensive tour of the grounds and programming of the facility”. However, the lawmakers claimed that the “Bureau of Prisons leadership repeatedly shut down our lines of questioning or could not provide basic information about our central concerns, including Ms. Maxwell’s extraordinary treatment, allegations of sexual assault at the facility, and retaliation against inmates who tried to blow the whistle.” “We also have serious concerns about the accuracy and veracity of information received by our investigative staff” the lawmakers said, adding that their investigation would continue. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme. Last summer, she was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to the minimum security Bryan prison camp, which houses around 635 female inmates. The move came around a week after Maxwell was interviewed by then-deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, about the Epstein case. The interview occurred amid mounting political and public pressure on the Trump administration for more transparency around the Epstein case and to release more records related to the late convicted sex offender. Maxwell’s transfer sparked backlash, especially from Democrats who noted that convicted sex offenders are generally placed by the BOP in low security prisons, such as the Florida prison where Maxwell had previously been held, rather than minimum-security facilities. Speaking to CNN this week, Garcia said that the prison’s warden told the committee staff during the visit on Tuesday that Maxwell is the “only of the 600 plus women that are there, she is the only convicted s