Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is now reportedly openly challenging the Trump Justice Department’s official conclusion that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, declaring instead that she believes the disgraced financier “was murdered” while behind bars and may have had ties to intelligence agencies.
Epstein was found dead in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on federal child sex charges. More than a decade earlier, in 2008, he had been convicted of soliciting sex from an underage girl. At the time of his death, New York City’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson, ruled it a suicide by hanging.
But Mace says she is not convinced.
Appearing Wednesday night on Newsmax, Mace was asked directly by host Rob Finnerty whether she believed Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell. Her answer was unequivocal.
“Oh, no, absolutely not,” she said.
When pressed on what she believed actually happened, Mace responded, “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.” She added that the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death were “all too suspicious.”
Mace pointed to several issues she finds troubling, including the width of the bedsheet reportedly used in the hanging, the absence of images of Epstein “hanging himself” in released files, and reports that video data from cameras near his cell had been lost.
“I don’t know how you hang yourself on your knees,” she said. “It’s all too suspicious. I don’t believe he killed himself.”
The South Carolina congresswoman has been vocal in calling for the release of Epstein-related files and has criticized the administration’s handling of document disclosures. Her latest comments underscore ongoing skepticism among some lawmakers about the official narrative.
Finnerty also asked Mace whether she believed Epstein may have been a “foreign asset” or even a “domestic asset.” Mace replied that she believes such a possibility cannot be ruled out.
“I think it’s possible he was a dual agent,” she said. “And I think it’s possible he was an agent, dual agent of Israel and also the CIA.”
Mace said she has written to the CIA requesting documents she believes the agency possesses. “I believe that the CIA is in possession of documents that Congress should have access to, as too should the American public,” she said, also calling for the release of passports and records connected to Epstein’s alleged financial dealings.
Her remarks come amid renewed scrutiny over Epstein’s death following the release of additional documents. Dr. Michael Baden, who attended Epstein’s autopsy as an observer on behalf of the financier’s estate, has also questioned the official finding.
In an interview with The Telegraph on Friday, Baden said, “My opinion is that his death was most likely caused by strangulation pressure rather than hanging.”
While the official ruling remains suicide, Mace’s comments reflect lingering doubts that continue to surround one of the most controversial inmate deaths in recent memory. As calls for transparency grow louder, questions about what truly happened in that Manhattan jail cell are unlikely to fade anytime soon.
