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New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez says he will not appoint a replacement to the state’s Epstein “Truth Commission” after Republican Rep. Andrea Reeb resigned from the Legislature and the commission earlier in October. The bipartisan investigative panel was created to examine Jeffrey Epstein’s activities in New Mexico, particularly at Zorro Ranch, and was originally designed as a four-member body. With Reeb gone, only three members remain: Democratic Reps. Andrea Romero and Marianna Anaya and Republican Rep. William Hall. Martínez’s office argues that a replacement is unnecessary because the commission has completed its remaining votes and is now working with attorneys to finish its investigation and prepare a final report scheduled for release in December. The commission’s first report, released in August, largely consolidated previously known information about Epstein’s operations in New Mexico rather than producing major new revelations. The decision has intensified partisan criticism surrounding a commission already plagued by internal disputes. House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong says leaving Reeb’s seat vacant destroys the bipartisan balance required by the resolution that created the commission and raises questions about whether the final report can be trusted to present an impartial account. The commission previously became embroiled in disputes over references to Democratic gubernatorial nominee Deb Haaland and allegations involving commission chair Andrea Romero’s employment with a district attorney’s office, a position Romero ultimately left while remaining on the panel. Reeb’s own resignation followed a judicial ruling that her legislative position conflicted with her work as a special prosecutor in the Alec Baldwin case. The commission is now moving toward its final Epstein report with only three members and continued political fighting over whether its investigation has been conducted independently and thoroughly enough to answer lingering questions about Epstein’s decades-long presence in New Mexico. to contact me: [email protected] source: New Mexico House Speaker Martínez won’t fill vacant seat on Epstein ‘Truth Commission’ • Source New Mexico
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