U.S. Justice Department Oversight

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D‑N.M., says his review of unredacted Justice Department files shows 'disturbing, disgusting, illegal acts' occurred at Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch in Stanley, New Mexico, and questions why federal prosecutors asked the state to shut down its investigation in 2019 under the first Trump administration. In an interview aired March 17, he said New Mexico is now taking a 'dual approach,' with both the attorney general and the state legislature conducting fresh probes into activity at the property Epstein bought in 1993. Luján argued there was 'no good reason' for DOJ to have intervened to stop state authorities, and suggested New Mexico officials were 'trampled on' to 'protect' high‑powered individuals, though he did not provide names or specific corroborating evidence. The ranch, which some Epstein accusers including the late Virginia Giuffre have said was a site of abuse, was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023 and is now owned by Texas Republican Don Huffines, currently running for state comptroller, raising additional political scrutiny. The episode deepens long‑running public suspicion about whether federal law enforcement constrained full investigations into Epstein’s network and who, if anyone, benefitted from the closure of the New Mexico probe.