Just one day after it was created by the state legislature, the "Epstein Truth Commission” met for the first time Tuesday morning.
The Commission announced the beginning of an investigation into illegal activity at sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro ranch outside of Santa Fe.
The commission will issue subpoenas and compel testimony if necessary to get the “full picture” of what happened on the nearly 10,000 acres of remote high desert.
During the commission's first meeting, Representative Marianna Anaya (D-Bernalillo), spoke directly to survivors, saying the investigation will be undertaken with “full transparency.”
“Which is not necessarily what you've been afforded so far,” she said. “Just know that we'll be moving forward with the conviction that you have shown to the rest of the world as well.”
Anaya is a co-sponsor of House Resolution 1, which created the commission and was unanimously passed by the State House with a $2 million budget.
It is a bipartisan mix of state legislators who will determine whether law enforcement appropriately investigated allegations of criminal activity at the ranch.
Representative Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), another co-sponsor of HR-1 and now chair of the commission, says survivors will be able to share their stories safely.
"We may potentially even be able to provide compensation for victims from Epstein's seized bank accounts," she said. "There's already funding, potentially for that process"
U.S. Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, who attended the meeting but is not a part of the commission, says the investigation will look into numerous cases of alleged crimes on the ranch, incuding sex trafficking, assault and rape, with more tips coming in everyday.
“There are several known cases of survivors who've told their stories publicly,” Stansbury said, “including Virginia Giuffre, whose autobiography was posthumously published a few months ago, who alleges abuse at the ranch by former Governor Bill Richardson.”
Stansbury said they want to find out “why the justice system has failed survivors."
“It's very clear, having viewed the unredacted files of FBI investigations into this case over many decades,” she said, “that the US government has failed to do what New Mexico is embarking to do right now.”
Ultimately, the Epstein Truth Commission hopes to learn from allegations of abuse and crime to ensure they never happen again.
