New Mexico AG, federal DOJ clash over Epstein records
A public dispute between New Mexico’s attorney general and the U.S. Department of Justice escalated Tuesday over records sought in the state’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Why it matters: The clash underscores questions about whether federal privacy restrictions and court orders are preventing state investigators from pursuing potential criminal leads tied to Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch in New Mexico.
Zoom in: New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez doubled down Tuesday on claims that the U.S. DOJ is “hindering” his investigation by “withholding” unredacted Epstein files, accusing the federal agency in a letter of refusing to cooperate.
In a letter last month to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, Torrez said that despite “verbal assurances of cooperation from the USDOJ, access to the requested records has not been granted” and “no substantive response has been provided.”
The letter gave the U.S. DOJ until July 31 to provide access to the records, after which, he wrote, “the NMDOJ will treat this request as denied and will pursue all available legal remedies.”