New Mexico sues justice department for ‘stonewalling’ Epstein investigation

Key Points:

• New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for withholding information related to Jeffrey Epstein's alleged abuses at his Zorro ranch.
• The lawsuit accuses the DOJ of "stonewalling" the state's reopened investigation into Epstein's activities at the 10,000-acre ranch, despite a transparency law requiring disclosure of such records.
• Torrez had set a July 31 deadline for the DOJ to share unredacted investigative files, which was ignored, prompting legal action seeking compliance with the Epstein transparency law and Touhy regulations.
• The investigation aims to uncover what occurred at Epstein's New Mexico property, which had not been subject to federal searches unlike other Epstein sites, amid survivor testimonies of abuse there.
• Previous cooperation from federal prosecutors has ceased, with the southern district of New York refusing to assist New Mexico's inquiry, intensifying the state's efforts to obtain full transparency through the courts.