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By Steve Mollman and Jesus Mesa
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Representative Nancy Mace rejected the Department of Justice's (DOJ) claim that the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on federal sex‑trafficking charges.
The South Carolina Republican said Wednesday night on Newsmax: “I think he was murdered, and I don’t know if it was an intel agency or what it was, I don’t have that information.”
Why It Matters
Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide by hanging by New York City’s chief medical examiner at the time, Dr. Barbara Sampson.
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A 2023 report by the DOJ's Office of Inspector General reaffirmed that conclusion while sharply criticizing the Bureau of Prisons for what it described as “numerous and serious failures” in the jail’s oversight and staffing the night Epstein died.
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What To Know
Mace told host Rob Finnerty she does not believe Epstein took his own life.
“Oh, no, absolutely not,” she said when asked whether she accepted the suicide ruling.
Mace, one of the most vocal Republican lawmakers calling for the DOJ to release the Epstein files, said the circumstances of his death were “all too suspicious.” She cited reports of malfunctioning surveillance cameras, missing video footage and questions surrounding the bedsheet reportedly used in the hanging.
“I don’t know how you hang yourself on your knees,” she added. “It’s all too suspicious. I don’t believe he killed himself.”
Finnerty then asked whether Epstein could have been a “foreign asset” or “even a domestic asset.” Mace replied that she believes it is “possible he was a dual agent,” suggesting potential links to Israel and the CIA. She said she has written to the CIA requesting documents she believes the agency possesses related to Epstein.
“I believe that the CIA is in possession of documents that Congress should have access to, as should the American public,” she said.
Epstein’s death has long fueled conspiracy theories across the political spectrum. The DOJ's inspector general concluded that while prison staff committed “serious errors” and falsified records, there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy.
Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist who observed the autopsy on behalf of Epstein’s family, has publicly questioned the suicide ruling, saying the injuries were more consistent with strangulation. The city’s medical examiner has maintained that the death was a suicide.
Earlier this year, the DOJ published more than 3 million pages of material under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November, that included 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. Appearing in the Epstein files is not indicative of criminal wrongdoing, and there haven't been any arrests or charges filed against those named.
The release of files has created a political firestorm for the Trump administration. Republicans and Democrats have called for greater transparency as the president has said the country should move on.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters in November: “It’s really a Democrat problem. The Democrats were Epstein’s friends, all of them. And it’s a hoax, the whole thing is a hoax.”
Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, on ABC News' This Week on Sunday: "Donald Trump told us that even though he had dinner with these kinds of people in New York City and West Palm Beach, that he would be transparent. But he's not. He's still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration, and they are attacking me for trying to get these files released."
What Happens Next
Mace has indicated she’ll be making other requests for Epstein-related information as well, telling NPR last week: “You're going to see a series of requests from me through the Oversight Committee because that is my jurisdiction. You're going to see a letter from me to the CIA asking for Epstein documents.”
Update 2/19/26, 12:34 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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