Attorney General Pam Bondi has quietly moved to a military base in the Washington area after facing serious threats from drug cartels and critics of her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. She left her city apartment within the past month after federal law enforcement flagged multiple threats to her staff. These included a rise in criticism directed at her and specific threats passed on by investigators.
According to The New York Times, one major reason for the increased threats was the capture and prosecution of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, according to a senior official with direct knowledge of the situation, who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive security matters. A spokesman for Ms. Bondi declined to comment on financial arrangements, only asking that the specific base location not be published for security reasons.
Ms. Bondi is not the only administration official to have made this move. Several others have also relocated to military facilities in or near the nation’s capital, citing dangers from criminals, overseas adversaries, and protesters as reasons for needing secure housing.
Six officials without military ties are now living in taxpayer-funded military housing
Stephen Miller, President Trump’s top domestic policy adviser, is among those living in military housing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are also currently residing in these secure facilities. A spokeswoman for Ms. Noem said she was paying “fair-market rent” for her accommodations last year.
Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and Navy Secretary John Phelan have also moved into military housing. Phelan relocated there after his Washington home was damaged in a fire last year. This brings the total to six officials with no direct military ties currently living in taxpayer-funded military housing.
The Epstein case has continued to draw scrutiny, with questions raised about how Epstein’s death was classified adding to the pressure on officials like Bondi. It is not entirely clear how much, if anything, most of these officials are paying to stay in some of the government’s most historically significant properties.
Only Ms. Noem’s office addressed the financial question directly, while others have not commented on the matter. Separately, a teenage victim’s credible assault claims against Epstein have also kept public attention on the case and those handling it.
A small number of officials have used military facilities in this way over the past several decades. Jim Mattis, who served as defense secretary during Trump’s first term, and Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state from 2018 to 2021, both used such facilities.
Robert M. Gates, defense secretary under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, also lived in Navy housing in Washington for much of his time in office. However, former officials and historians say this is the first administration to make such widespread use of taxpayer-funded military housing for political appointees with no direct military connection.
There is some precedent for this practice: in 1974, Congress authorized the vice president to reside at the Naval Observatory, which had been the official home of the chief of naval operations for 40 years. Since then, the Navy’s top admirals have typically lived in Tingey House, a historic property at the Washington Navy Yard.
Published: Mar 11, 2026 11:45 am