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New Mexico says the withheld documents are important to its criminal investigation into alleged abuse at Epstein’s farm.
The United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) has said it will not provide the state of New Mexico with unredacted files about Jeffrey Epstein.
In an online statement on Wednesday, it said doing so would violate existing laws.
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“State laws, court orders, and privacy protections for victims and witnesses do not allow us to release millions of undocumented documents,” the department said. he wrote.
The move came after pressure from the New Mexico Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Raul Torrez, a Democrat.
In a letter released to the public last week, Torrez the accused President Donald Trump’s administration of hindering his government’s investigation by refusing to release sensitive documents.
But the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) pushed back on Wednesday, saying Torrez’s request was not within his jurisdiction.
“We will continue to comply with federal laws and court orders,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “Complying with their demands would be a violation of federal law. Is that what the (New Mexico attorney general) is saying?”
Epstein’s scandal has been pressing for the Trump administration since the Republican leader began his second term in 2025.
Critics say the administration has failed to fulfill its commitment to transparency, while others think officials could protect the powerful statistics contained in Epstein’s files.
Trump was also in Epstein’s circle. He has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Epstein is accused of leading a sex trafficking ring that has hundreds of victims.
In 2019, during Trump’s first administration, prosecutors asked New Mexico to suspend their investigation into Epstein’s activities in the state so that their case could proceed.
Epstein, however, died that year in prison. His death was ruled a suicide.
New Mexico reopened its investigation in February after the second Trump administration released millions of records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
In his letter this month, Torrez explained that his office has spent more than five months looking for unedited documents that should continue to be investigated.
But the office still hasn’t received all the files it requested, Torrez said. He called the actions of the Ministry of Justice “deliberately choosing to disagree”.
“Every day the USDOJ withholds these documents, the case that can be brought on behalf of survivors in New Mexico becomes harder to make,” Torrez said.
“Witnesses are displaced and inaccessible, memories of years of pain and silence continue to fade, physical and documentary evidence is degraded or lost.”
New Mexico is investigating allegations that women and girls were trafficked at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch, the sprawling ranch he owned south of Santa Fe from 1993 until his death.
Documents released by the US Department of Justice in January include an unconfirmed tip about sexual assault videos and the burial of two foreign girls at the site.
Survivors such as the late Virginia Giuffre have reported abuse and other violence at the farm. Officials say the allegations have not been fully investigated.
The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
Administrators continue to face questions about whether they fully comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed in November.
It required the Justice Department to release its records related to Epstein within 30 days, with minor redactions to protect victims.
Millions of files were released, many of which were highly compromised, while some of the victims were exposed.
