U.S. Justice Department declines New Mexico request for unredacted Epstein files

The U.S. Justice Department stated it cannot release millions of unredacted files related to Jeffrey Epstein to New Mexico officials. In a social media post on Wednesday, the department said federal law, court orders, and privacy protections for victims and witnesses bar the release.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez had requested the documents for a state criminal investigation into alleged abuse at Zorro Ranch, a property Epstein owned south of Santa Fe.

State request and federal response Torrez released a letter last week accusing the Justice Department of obstructing the investigation by withholding records. The department responded that complying with the request would violate federal law and existing court orders. “We will continue to follow federal law and the court orders that are in place,” the Justice Department said.

Mexico probe New Mexico reopened its investigation in February after the Justice Department released millions of Epstein-related records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. State officials are examining allegations that women and girls were trafficked to the ranch between 1993 and Epstein’s death in 2019.

Torrez wrote that witnesses have become harder to reach and evidence has degraded during the five months his office has sought the files. Documents released earlier this year included an unverified tip about videos of sexual abuse and the alleged burial of two foreign girls on the property.