New Mexico says the withheld records are critical to its criminal investigation into alleged abuse at Epstein’s ranch.
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The United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) has said it cannot provide the state of New Mexico with unredacted files pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a social media post on Wednesday, it argued that doing so would violate existing law.
“Federal law, court orders, and privacy protections for victims and witnesses do not allow us to release millions of unredacted documents,” the departmentwrote.
The post came in response to pressure from New Mexico’s Department of Justice, led by state Attorney General Raul Torrez, a Democrat.
In a letter released to the public last week, Torrezaccusedthe administration of President Donald Trump ofobstructing his state’s investigationby refusing to release critical documents.
But the US Justice Department (USDOJ) pushed back in Wednesday’s post, claiming Torrez’s request fell outside its authority.
“We will continue to follow federal law and the court orders that are in place,” the Justice Department said. “To capitulate to their demands would be to break federal law. Is that what the [New Mexico attorney general] is suggesting?”
The Epstein scandal has been a pressure point for the Trump administration since the Republican leader began his second term in 2025.
Critics say the administration has fallen short of its commitment to transparency, with some speculating that officials may be shielding powerful figures featured in the Epstein files.
Trump himself was part of Epstein’s social circle. He has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Epstein is accused of directing a sex-trafficking ring whose victims number in the hundreds.
In 2019, during Trump’s first administration, federal prosecutors called on New Mexico to suspend its investigation into Epstein’s activities in the state to allow their own case to proceed.
