Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials toured Alcatraz Island and its former federal penitentiary Thursday. CBS News Bay Area reporter Kevin Ko has more.

San Francisco

Attorney General Pam Bondi, accompanied by other federal officials, toured Alcatraz Island, the site of the former federal penitentiary. The visit follows statements from President Donald Trump expressing interest in reopening Alcatraz as a prison, with officials directed to assess its feasibility.

Local officials and experts have questioned the practicality and cost of reopening the facility, which currently serves as a major tourist attraction. The visit was met with criticism from California leaders, including Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Governor Gavin Newsom, who both voiced strong opposition to the idea, citing economic and policy concerns.

Attorney General Pam Bondi tours Alcatraz Island, former prison

We want to get to some video that we just got of the U.S. Attorney General and other heavy hitters from Washington who are touring Alcatraz Island. You can see right there in the center, Pam Bondi. She's looking up at what is Alcatraz. Now, tourists know this place. Thousands and thousands a year go to that area to see Alcatraz and what it used to be. It used to house some of our nation's most dangerous criminals. But then years ago, it was found to be defunct. It was found to be too expensive to operate. So they shut it up and they turned it into a tourist attraction. Well, we know in recent weeks, President Donald Trump has said that he would like to see Alcatraz up and running again. In fact, directing those heavy hitters to go there and look at the feasibility of that. And so we are going to talk to CBS News Bay Area reporter Kevin Coe right there. He is in San Francisco. Alcatraz is right there over his shoulder. Bondi has arrived. What do you know, Kevin? Well, Bondi arrived and she left very quickly. Her and Burgum, we tried to just ask them one question. They did not answer anything. The one question we want to ask them, Reed, was after going to Alcatraz and making this visit, is it realistic to reopen Alcatraz as a prison because of all of those things you have listed? Over the past two days and really months since we first knew that the Trump administration was interested in reopening Alcatraz as a federal prison, we've been in touch with local elected officials here in San Francisco, as well as many experts who have all come to question how feasible is it to actually make this happen? Now, I also want to mention, I am here coming to you live at Fort Baker. Downtown San Francisco is all the way behind me. To get to where I am right now, you actually have to cross over the Golden Gate Bridge. For most tours, if not any tours for the public, it goes near the heart of San Francisco at Pier 33. That's where cruises and tours are still happening today. We actually saw this morning one cruise go as Bondi and Burgum were on Alcatraz as well. We are under the impression that this is not their last stop here today in San Francisco. We actually just also heard from the Department of Justice, a spokesperson reaching out back to us with a few questions that we had. They said all of this, all of the movements here from the White House officials here in San Francisco today are based on the Trump administration's overall, I wouldn't say message, but their actions to essentially bring law and order back into the country. Well, it looks like that movement has made its way into San Francisco here this morning. Bondi and Burgum were here for, I'd say, about 25 seconds, more so five minutes, taking pictures with some Coast Guard officials. I can also say we saw California Highway Patrol here, San Francisco Police here as well, and of course, a lot of Secret Service. You mentioned Secretary Burgum. His goal and his job as Secretary of the Interior is to be in charge of cultural sites and manage lands that are important. Also, quite an interface with our nation's Native American population. Alcatraz figures into the history, the proud history of Native Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a lot of people are wondering how this could ever get done, the expense and the billions of dollars. Kevin Koh, thank you for that. On CBS News Bay Area earlier, I spoke to California Congresswoman and Democrat, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. She's hot under the collar about this visit today. She had this to say about the administration's intentions for that tourist site, Alcatraz. So while terrible things are happening to what we are as the character and the culture of America and the health and well-being of our children, uh, what do they want us to be talking about? Alcatraz. And so we are talking about Alcatraz, but we're talking about it in the context of the stupidity and the cruel, on the one hand, of this thing, because it doesn't make any economic sense, and compared to the cruelty of the opportunity cost of that money. California Governor Gavin Newsom also sounding off. He released this statement. It is pointed. He says Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So, never. That came from the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

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