Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, has claimed that the Department of Justice intervened to block a state investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch in 2019. The Kentucky Republican made the allegation on Jesse Watters’ Fox News show Tuesday, a day after a new search of the property was commenced.
“The federal government asked New Mexico to stop their investigation, I believe, back in 2019 of that ranch,” said Comer. He suggested the order may have come from the Southern District of New York, which had taken over the investigation at that point. The comments come amid ongoing scrutiny of the authorities’ failure to prosecute Epstein sooner during President Donald Trump’s first term, when Bill Barr was attorney general.
State investigators began a new search of the 26,700 square foot hilltop mansion in Santa Fe County on Monday. The ranch, formerly known as Zorro Ranch, was acquired in 2023 by businessman Don Huffines, a self-declared “MAGA Trump Republican” running for Texas comptroller. State Attorney General Raul Torrez’s office said the search was being carried out with the cooperation of the new owners, following revelations in previously sealed FBI files.
Meanwhile, California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia said the DOJ had released only half of its files on Epstein – approximately 3.5 million of 6 million total. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said that is all his department considers safe to release without compromising innocent people or interfering with ongoing investigations. Garcia called it a “massive White House cover-up” and urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the files in their entirety.
Bondi has been subpoenaed to appear before Comer’s committee. Garcia also noted upcoming testimony from Epstein’s personal lawyer Darren Indyke, accountant Richard Kahn, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Rep. Ro Khanna pledged the fight for answers would continue, saying survivors have sat in his office and “they want justice.”
