July 17 (UPI) — Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are in San Francisco to inspect the former Alcatraz Island federal prison ahead of its potential reopening.
A Fox News correspondent is accompanying Bondi as she and Burgum on Thursday tour the prison facility that closed in 1963 after the former military installation was converted into a federal prison in 1934.
President Donald Trump has proposed reopening the facility, but the White House has not confirmed Bondi and Burgum are touring Alcatraz.
There is no indication regarding whether or not Bondi and Burgum will address media during their visit.
An aircraft bearing the markings “United States of America” on its sides landed at an airport in the San Francisco Bay area on Wednesday night, the Independent reported.
Trump has called Alcatraz a “symbol of law and order” that formerly housed many of the nation’s most dangerous criminals, including former gangsters Al Capone, Whitey Bulger, Bumpy Johnson and George Kelly Barnes, aka Machine GunKelly.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has called Trump’s idea to reopen Alcatraz as a maximum-security prison the president’s “stupidest initiative yet.”
The island has been a popular tourist destination since it closed and generates about $60 million per year in tourism revenue.
The visit comes as Bondi faces scrutiny from within Republican ranks for initially saying she would release files regarding the death of former financier Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide while jailed in New York City in 2019.
Epstein was a convicted sex offender who faced federal charges related to allegedly running a child sex enterprise.
Instead of releasing the Epstein files, Bondi earlier this month released a memo saying Epstein committed suicide while in jail.
Bondi’s memo triggered a backlash from many Republicans and others, including FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
Bongino has accused Bondi of mishandling the matter and missed several days of work last week after allegedly arguing with her during a high-level meeting. He resumed work on Monday.
Amid the uproar, Trump urged Republicans to stop the infighting and move on from the Epstein case and its files, which he said don’t matter.
“Let Pam Bondi do her job — she’s great!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Bondi on Tuesday said she had no intention of resigning as the nation’s attorney general.
“I’m going to be here for as long as the president wants me here,” Bondi told media on Tuesday.