US DOJ blocks New Mexico's bid for unredacted Epstein records

The U.S. Department of Justice said it is prohibited by law from releasing the unredacted files on Jeffrey Epstein that New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez requested for the state’s criminal investigation. A DOJ spokesperson stated, “Federal law, court orders, and privacy protections for victims and witnesses do not allow us to release millions of unredacted documents.”

Torrez accused the federal agency of deliberately obstructing the probe, writing that the refusal is “a reflection of a deliberate choice not to cooperate.” New Mexico has reopened its investigation into alleged trafficking and abuse at Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch near Santa Fe, a property he owned from 1993 until his death. The state has also launched a legislative “Truth Commission” and issued subpoenas to U.S. attorney offices in several states and the U.S. Virgin Islands for information on the federal handling of the case.

The DOJ provided only a limited set of already public, heavily redacted pages, which New Mexico officials say are unusable. The dispute highlights ongoing tension between state and federal authorities over the transparency of the Epstein Files Transparency Act records.