Former New Mexico AG Gary King Faces New Epstein Scrutiny (Part 1) (9/10/26)

Former New Mexico Attorney General Gary King’s effort to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein rested heavily on semantics, particularly his insistence that Epstein “wasn’t my friend.” But the documentary record made that explanation look increasingly strained. Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell contributed thousands of dollars to King’s political campaigns, Epstein had longstanding ties to the King family through the purchase of the property that became Zorro Ranch, and King’s office was involved in arranging a meeting with Epstein in 2010, after Epstein was already a convicted sex offender. King also benefited from an Epstein-linked aircraft during his 2014 gubernatorial campaign, even though the campaign paid for the charter. None of those facts proved King knew about Epstein’s abuse, but they did make his attempt to reduce the relationship to something distant and insignificant feel incomplete. The issue was never simply whether King considered Epstein a personal friend; it was whether a sitting attorney general had repeated political, family and logistical connections to a convicted sex offender operating one of the most notorious properties in his state.

King’s defense that his office never investigated Epstein because it received no formal complaints also invited scrutiny rather than resolving it. By 2010, Epstein’s criminal history was public, his New Mexico ranch was well known, and questions already existed about his sex-offender registration status in the state. Against that backdrop, the absence of a formal complaint did not erase the larger question of whether New Mexico officials should have exercised more curiosity about a wealthy convicted sex offender with deep local connections and political access. King may be technically correct that Epstein was not his “friend” in the ordinary sense, but that formulation risks becoming a distraction from the more important record: money flowed into King’s political orbit, meetings were arranged, family ties existed, and Epstein remained connected to powerful people in New Mexico long after his conviction. The growing scrutiny is therefore less about proving friendship and more about whether King is now trying to minimize a relationship that, whatever label he prefers, was clearly more substantial than a passing acquaintance.


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'He wasn't my friend': Former New Mexico AG Gary King distances himself from Epstein | Local News | santafenewmexican.com