July 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday it was prohibited by law from releasing unredacted files on Jeffrey Epstein requested by New Mexico, escalating a feud with state officials investigating the late sex offender.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez released a letter on Tuesday accusing the DOJ of deliberately obstructing the state’s criminal probe of Epstein by failing to hand over the files.
“Federal law, court orders, and privacy protections for victims and witnesses do not allow us to release millions of unredacted documents,” a U.S. Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to follow federal law and the court orders that are in place.”
In February, the Democratic-run state re-opened an investigation into activities at Epstein’s former ranch, south of the capital Santa Fe, where he is accused of abusing women and girls for nearly three decades.
In response to the state’s request that month for unredacted files, Torrez said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Mexico on July 10 provided 31 pages of documents that had already been made public, contained redacted material that was unusable or were photocopies of local news stories.
New Mexico’s Justice Department on Wednesday responded to its federal counterpart’s claim that it could not release unredacted documents by saying federal prosecutors routinely sought to modify protective orders so they could provide material to state law enforcement for criminal investigations.
“That’s what real cooperation means,” New Mexico DOJ spokesperson Lauren Rodriguez said in a statement.
Pressure from Epstein survivors and their advocates for the federal government to release the Epstein files in their entirety has dogged President Donald Trump, who has said the country should move on.
New Mexico’s state legislature is also running an Epstein investigation and last month subpoenaed U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in three states and the U.S. Virgin Islands for information on whether they investigated the late financier and chose not to press charges.
The legislature’s Truth Commission is expected to release an interim report this month. Torrez has yet to announce any findings.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman)
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