New Mexico Attorney General and US DOJ Disagree Over Epstein Records

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the US Department of Justice are in a public dispute over records related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Torrez says the US DOJ is hindering his investigation by withholding unredacted Epstein files. He accused the federal agency of refusing to cooperate in a letter to acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche. The New Mexico Department of Justice said the US DOJ's Southern District of New York office will not cooperate and will not support the only active criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

A spokesperson for the US DOJ called Torrez's characterization 'false' and said releasing millions of unredacted documents would be a violation of federal law. The US DOJ will continue to follow federal law and court orders, according to the spokesperson. The dispute began in February when New Mexico lawmakers announced an investigation into allegations that Epstein trafficked and sexually abused girls and women at the Zorro Ranch outside Santa Fe. The New Mexico attorney general's office sought unredacted access to an anonymous 2019 email that alleged two 'foreign girls' were buried at Zorro Ranch.

Epstein accuser Annie Farmer alleged in testimony that she was abused by Epstein's co-conspirator at the ranch when she was 16 years old. A New Mexico criminal investigation ended in 2019 with no charges filed. Torrez has given the US DOJ until July 31 to respond before pursuing what he says are 'all available legal remedies'.