Newsom's office is skeptical as AG Bondi visits Alcatraz

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s staff expressed skepticism about reopening Alcatraz as a federal prison following U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s visit to the historic tourist attraction. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the idea "stupid."

But President Donald Trump and his supporters said the San Francisco Bay island could hold America's worst criminals again.

Alcatraz, which held infamous prisoners such as gangster Al Capone, closed in 1963 because of its high operating costs, including transporting fresh water and other supplies by boat. It was almost three times more expensive to operate than other federal prisons, according to the History Channel. In 1972, the site became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the public began visiting it in 1973. The National Park Service oversees the island, where rangers have given talks and tourists have had their photos taken inside the cells in the aging facility. The 19th-century buildings are decaying, and nothing remains of the warden's mansion but a concrete shell.

“Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So … never,” Newsom’s press office posted Thursday on X.

Ironically, after bipartisan pressure grew to release those files, Trump ordered Bondi to release grand jury documents in the sex-trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein, whose death in 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City was ruled a suicide by a medical examiner and the U.S. Justice Department inspector general.

Bondi, who said she would release the files, traveled to Alcatraz Thursday on a Coast Guard boat with Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum.

“A great morning at Alcatraz with @SecretaryBurgum,” Bondi posted on X with photos. “Under President Trump, we are Making America Safe Again.”

Bondi and Burgum toured the cell block that housed Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly and visited the dock, power station and industry building, according to a U.S. Department of Interior news release.

"The trip to California comes amid the Trump administration's efforts to reverse the damage done by the Biden administration to The Golden State after residents experienced increases in violent crime, property crime, and robberies because of the policies of the previous administration and state officials that let criminals walk free," the department said.

Bondi is using the visit as part of her review to determine whether Alcatraz could reopen as a prison after being rebuilt.

"This is a terrific facility," Bondi said in a Fox News story. "It needs a lot of work, but no one has been known to escape from Alcatraz and survive."

But Pelosi, a Democrat who continues to represent San Francisco in the U.S. House, strongly disagreed with the idea. She described the reopening of Alcatraz as the Trump administration's "stupidest" idea, according to media reports.

Republicans in Congress are expected to introduce a bill to take away the National Park Service's control of the site, with the goal of making Alcatraz a prison again. In May, Trump directed the Bureau of Prisons, the FBI, and the Homeland Security and Justice departments to reopen a rebuilt and expanded Alcatraz prison "to house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders."

"The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE," Trump posted on his social media platform, TruthSocial.

In 1972, Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the public began visiting it in 1973. The U.S. General Services Administration said over 1.4 million people annually visit the site.

Visitors take a ferry to reach the island, where the weather jumps back and forth between fog, powerful gusts and sunshine. Tourists can get an audio tour available in a dozen languages, according to the National Park Service. A photo on the park service's website shows tourists taking a tram.

Alcatraz, which served as a military fort during the Civil War and was transformed into a prison in 1934, was seen as inescapable. But there were 14 escape attempts by 36 men, according to the FBI. "Nearly all were caught or didn’t survive the attempt."

The final three inmates who escaped, back in the 1960s, were never found. But the FBI, while conceding the escapes remain a mystery, said its investigation concluded inmates John Anglin, Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris didn't survive. (John and Clarence were brothers.)

Their attempt to escape inspired the 1979 movie "Escape from Alcatraz" (1979), starring Clint Eastwood.