Rep. Nancy Mace Demands CIA Disclosure On Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell Connections

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 17, 2026) - Today, Congresswoman Nancy Mace sent a letter to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe requesting the agency disclose any and all records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell after the CIA refused to confirm or deny whether such records even exist, claiming the information itself is classified.

In 2011, lawyers representing Epstein filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request asking the CIA for records which may show his affiliation with the agency. The CIA's response stated "the fact of the existence or nonexistence of requested records is currently and properly classified" and is protected intelligence sources and methods information. The CIA refused to acknowledge whether records linking the agency to Epstein exist, claiming even acknowledging whether they exist or not is "classified."

"Epstein's potential ties to the CIA and its operations raise serious questions which require serious answers," said Congresswoman Mace."The survivors of Epstein's heinous crimes and the American people deserve complete transparency on whether the CIA had any affiliation with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein or knew about his nefarious activities."

The letter outlines multiple suspicious connections between Epstein and CIA-linked individuals and operations. Among them, Epstein repeatedly referred to entering a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), a secure area used for handling classified national security information. In a 2015 email to his attorney Kathryn Ruemmler, Epstein described a project as an "In-Q-Tel-funded" initiative and wrote "it looks like a cia drop."

Additional connections detailed in the letter include:

• One of Epstein's attorneys, Kathryn Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under President Obama, received the highest honor from the CIA from then-Director John Brennan and told Epstein about it
• Epstein had business ties to individuals involved in the CIA's Iran-Contra scandal. One of Epstein's first clients was Adnan Khashoggi, the Saudi arms dealer who was the central middleman in the CIA's Iran-Contra operation
• Epstein oversaw the repurposing of CIA front/contractor "Southern Air Transport" for Leslie Wexner
• Epstein worked for Douglas Leese, an arms dealer who introduced Epstein to Khashoggi
• Epstein held ties with the cofounder and owner of United States defense contractor DynCorp and appears to have been an intermediary to Norinco, the Chinese state-owned defense company
• Epstein had contact with former CIA Director William Burns and representatives of foreign governments, including a United Kingdom official who was forced to step down after it was revealed he gave Epstein confidential financial information

Rep. Mace is demanding the CIA search all records, classified and unclassified, to identify any records relating to Epstein and Maxwell, make those records available for congressional review, and disclose them to the public to the maximum extent allowable by law.

The letter notes at a minimum, the National Resources Division (NR) of the CIA would likely have had extensive contact with Epstein over the years, given its focus on debriefing high-level business people and investors who travel frequently abroad, do business with foreign officials, and have links to restricted areas.

SEE LETTER BELOW:

SEE EXHIBITS BELOW:

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