US Justice Department refuses New Mexico’s request for Epstein files

The United States Department of Justice declined to release unredacted documents pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein to the state of New Mexico, citing legal constraints and victim privacy protections. The federal agency stated that federal law, court orders, and privacy safeguards for victims and witnesses prevent the release of millions of unredacted documents.

New Mexico's Attorney General Raul Torrez, a Democrat, had publicly pressured the Trump administration to provide the materials, accusing it of obstructing the state's investigation into alleged abuse at Epstein's ranch. In a letter released to the public, Torrez characterized the withholding of documents as an obstruction of justice. The US Justice Department responded by asserting that Torrez's request fell outside its authority and that complying would violate federal law.

The Epstein scandal has become a pressure point for the Trump administration since the president began his second term in 2025. Critics have suggested the administration has fallen short on transparency commitments, with some speculating that officials may be protecting powerful figures mentioned in the Epstein files. Trump himself was part of Epstein's social circle, though he has denied knowledge of the financier's crimes.

Epstein is accused of directing a sex-trafficking operation with hundreds of victims. He died in jail in 2019, with his death ruled a suicide. During Trump's first administration in 2019, federal prosecutors had called on New Mexico to suspend its investigation to allow their own case to proceed. New Mexico reopened its investigation in February after the second Trump administration released millions of records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Torrez explained that his office has spent more than five months seeking unredacted federal records necessary to advance its probe but has yet to receive all requested files. He warned that continued withholding of documents makes prosecution more difficult, as witnesses relocate, memories fade due to trauma, and physical and documentary evidence degrades or is lost.