“There aren’t words to describe what are in those files,” said Stansbury in a low, almost hushed, tone after emerging from a closed-door viewing of some of the unredacted Epstein files on Tuesday.
“It’s very clear that the United States government has failed to hold perpetrators accountable for decades in this case with the original sin of failing to prosecute Jeffrey Epstein in 2006 when the FBI and the Department of Justice had the opportunity to, which allowed allowed him to continue to abuse women across his properties and across the world.”
Stansbury, who is a member on the House Oversight Committee and ranking member of the subcommittee on DOGE, shared that some of the redactions appear to be in violation of the law only permitting the redactions of victims. “It’s very clear that [the] Department of Justice is covering up names of potential perpetrators and powerful people.”
“I spent a fair amount of my time this morning looking at the files on Zorro Ranch,” she added.
New Mexico Political Report reported last year that a pair of state legislators were seeking funding for a Zorro Ranch “truth commission” to investigate activities by Epstein and guests at the location.
Stansbury represents New Mexico’s First Congressional District, which includes parts of Santa Fe County near where Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch is located.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury on viewing Epstein Files regarding the Zorro Ranch outside Stanley, New Mexico
I spent a fair amount of my time this morning looking at the files on Zoro Ranch.
There’s some dark dark stuff there and I think it’s really important that our colleagues, State House Representatives Mariana Annaya and Andrea Romero, are conducting this truth commission because the FBI never did a full forensic investigation of the ranch property and it’s clear that crimes were committed there and people knew about it.“There were victims who went to the FBI, who went to law enforcement, and those crimes were never followed up on, and the ranch was sold from the estate before a full investigation could be done.
So, there’s a lot of unanswered questions about Zoro Ranch in New Mexico, what went down there, why it was not fully investigated, why people were not held accountable, and frankly, as a New Mexican, you know, to anyone who was hurt there, I just my heart goes out to you.
- Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Feb. 10, 2026
The US DOJ began releasing redacted copies of the files from the department’s records after Congress forced the release. Several bipartisan members of Congress have viewed unredacted versions and claimed that powerful people were redacted in violation of the law.
I think that Robert Garcia is Ranking Member of House Oversight Committee. Stansbury is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on D.O.G.E.
Good catch! We made that fix!