YOU’RE WATCHING KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S NAME IS BEING MENTIONED IN THE NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR’S RACE. ACCUSATIONS ARE BEING MADE. HE WAS CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE CANDIDATES TONIGHT, A TARGET 7 INVESTIGATION. JASON MCNABB GETS THE FACTS ON CLAIMS BEING MADE ON ADS. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ON OUR AIRWAYS. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT. SHELLY RIBANDO IS A PART OF OUR INVESTIGATION TOO. EPSTEIN’S TIES IN THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT. TARGET 7 TOLD YOU HOW DEB HAALAND TOOK A FLIGHT TO WASHINGTON, DC ON JET THAT WAS ARRANGED BY ONE OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S COMPANIES. SHE WAS RUNNING FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AT THE TIME, AND HER RUNNING MATE, GARY KING, ARRANGED THAT FLIGHT. BUT A LOT OF THAT WAS LEFT OUT IN A RECENT TELEVISION AD. YOU’VE SEEN THIS AD RIGHT HERE ON KOAT INFORMATION. IT MAKES THESE CLAIMS ACCEPTED A RIDE ON ONE OF EPSTEIN’S PRIVATE JETS TO A D.C. FUNDRAISER. IT ALSO SAYS THAT HOLLAND, WHO’S RUNNING AGAINST BERNALILLO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAM BREGMAN IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR. SHE. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM EPSTEIN BUSINESSES AND THE CAMPAIGN EVEN WENT BACK AND ASKED FOR MORE. SO HOW ACCURATE ARE THESE CLAIMS? LET’S START WITH THE RIDE ON EPSTEIN’S JET. FIRST OFF, THE JET WAS NOT OWNED BY EPSTEIN. IT WAS, HOWEVER, BOOKED BY ONE OF EPSTEIN’S COMPANIES. AND IT’S NOT CLEAR IF HOLLAND KNEW ABOUT THE CONNECTION. WE SHOWED YOU EMAILS RELEASED IN THE EPSTEIN FILES THAT APPEAR TO SHOW THEN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE GARY KING ASKING JEFFREY EPSTEIN TO USE HIS PLAN FOR A FLIGHT TO AN EVENT IN WASHINGTON, DC IN 2014. A FLIGHT MANIFEST ALSO RELEASED, REVEALING A CHARTER FLIGHT BOOKED FOR THAT SAME DATE BY ONE OF EPSTEIN’S COMPANIES, KING AND DEB HOLLAND, RUNNING FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AT THE TIME, ARE BOTH LISTED AS PASSENGERS. HOLLAND’S CAMPAIGN HAS REPEATEDLY TOLD TARGET 7 THAT HOLLAND HAD NO IDEA THE FLIGHT WAS BOOKED BY AN EPSTEIN OWNED COMPANY. KING MADE THE SAME CLAIM. HOWEVER, THEIR EMAILS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES SHOW OTHERWISE. I HAD KNOWN IN ADVANCE THAT THE JET WAS OWNED BY JEFFREY EPSTEIN. I WOULD HAVE ASKED MY STAFF TO FIND A DIFFERENT COMPANY. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT GARY KING DID NOT CHOOSE HOLLAND AS HIS RUNNING MATE. NOMINEES FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SELECTED BY VOTERS IN THE PRIMARIES, AND THEY KEEP THEIR OWN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES. SO LET’S GO BACK TO THESE CLAIMS. SHE TOOK TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM EPSTEIN BUSINESSES, AND THE CAMPAIGN EVEN WENT BACK AND ASKED FOR MORE. WE FIND THIS CLAIM FALSE. IN THE AD, THEY SHOW THIS EMAIL, MAKING IT APPEAR IT CAME FROM HOLLAND, AND THAT SHE WAS THANKING EPSTEIN FOR HIS FRIENDSHIP. SO TARGET 7 WENT TO FIND AN ORIGINAL COPY FROM EPSTEIN FILES. THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE ON YOUR SCREEN. WHO SIGNS THE EMAIL? GARY KING, NOT DEB HOLLAND. SO WHO’S BEHIND THE AD? CHECK THE DISCLAIMER. AND IT WAS FUNDED BY A NEWLY FORMED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, ACCOUNTABLE NEW MEXICO. IT’S FUNDED BY FOUR NEW MEXICO BUSINESSMAN. BREGMAN IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE AD. HOWEVER, IN THIS RECENT AD FUNDED BY HIS CAMPAIGN, HE SAYS THIS. AND UNLIKE OTHERS, NOT IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. SO I CAN HOLD PERPETRATORS WHO COMMITTED CRIMES AT EPSTEIN’S RANCH ACCOUNTABLE. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EPSTEIN’S CONNECTIONS TO NEW MEXICO, YOU CAN HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN WATCH OUR SPECIAL INVESTIGATION SECRETS OF ZORRO RANCH FOR TARGET 7. I’M JASON MCNABB. IF YOU HAVE A TIP FOR US TO INVESTIGAT
Get the Facts: How true are the claims made about Deb Haaland and Epstein in new ad?
A political ad in the New Mexico governor’s race claims multiple ties between gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland and Jeffrey Epstein, but a Target 7 investigation reveals inaccuracies in the ad’s allegations
Jeffrey Epstein’s name has once again emerged in the New Mexico governor’s race, with a political ad making claims about candidate Deb Haaland’s alleged ties to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. The ad, which aired on KOAT, alleges Haaland “accepted a ride on one of Epstein’s private jets to a D.C. fundraiser” and “took tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein businesses, and the campaign even went back and asked for more.” Target 7 looked through the claims to get the facts, and determine which are true, false, or misleading. Claim: Deb Haaland accepted ride on one of Epstein’s private jetsVerdict: Misleading Target 7 found that while Haaland did take a flight to Washington, D.C., in 2014, the jet was not owned by Epstein. However, the flight was booked by one of Epstein’s companies, and it is unclear whether Haaland knew about the connection. Emails from the Epstein files show then-gubernatorial candidate Gary King requested the use of Epstein’s plane for the trip. A flight manifest lists King and Haaland, who were running for governor and lieutenant governor respectively at the time, as passengers. Haaland’s campaign has repeatedly stated she was unaware the flight was arranged by an Epstein-owned company. King has made the same claim, but emails in the Epstein files suggest otherwise. King told Target 7 in our special investigation Secrets of Zorro Ranch, “Had I known in advance that the jet was by Jeffrey Epstein, I would have asked my staff to find a different company.” It is important to note that King did not choose Haaland as his running mate. Lieutenant governor nominees are selected by voters in the primaries in New Mexico and maintain separate campaign committees. Claim: Deb Haaland took tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein-owned companies and asked for moreVerdict: FalseThe ad also claims Haaland’s campaign took tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein businesses and asked for more. Target 7 found this claim to be false. The ad features an email that appears to show Haaland thanking Epstein for his friendship. Target 7 tracked down the original email from the Epstein files, and found it was actually signed by Gary King, not Haaland. The ad was funded by a newly formed political action committee, Accountable New Mexico, which is backed by four New Mexico businessmen. Bregman is not associated with the ad, but in a separate ad funded by his campaign, he said, “Unlike others, I am not in the Epstein files. So I can hold perpetrators who committed crimes at Epstein’s ranch accountable.”
Jeffrey Epstein’s name has once again emerged in the New Mexico governor’s race, with a political ad making claims about candidate Deb Haaland’s alleged ties to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
The ad, which aired on KOAT, alleges Haaland “accepted a ride on one of Epstein’s private jets to a D.C. fundraiser” and “took tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein businesses, and the campaign even went back and asked for more.”
Target 7 looked through the claims to get the facts, and determine which are true, false, or misleading.
Claim: Deb Haaland accepted ride on one of Epstein’s private jets
Verdict: Misleading
Target 7 found that while Haaland did take a flight to Washington, D.C., in 2014, the jet was not owned by Epstein. However, the flight was booked by one of Epstein’s companies, and it is unclear whether Haaland knew about the connection. Emails from the Epstein files show then-gubernatorial candidate Gary King requested the use of Epstein’s plane for the trip. A flight manifest lists King and Haaland, who were running for governor and lieutenant governor respectively at the time, as passengers.
Haaland’s campaign has repeatedly stated she was unaware the flight was arranged by an Epstein-owned company. King has made the same claim, but emails in the Epstein files suggest otherwise. King told Target 7 in our special investigation Secrets of Zorro Ranch, “Had I known in advance that the jet was [arranged] by Jeffrey Epstein, I would have asked my staff to find a different company.”
It is important to note that King did not choose Haaland as his running mate. Lieutenant governor nominees are selected by voters in the primaries in New Mexico and maintain separate campaign committees.
Claim: Deb Haaland took tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein-owned companies and asked for more
Verdict: False
The ad also claims Haaland’s campaign took tens of thousands of dollars from Epstein businesses and asked for more. Target 7 found this claim to be false. The ad features an email that appears to show Haaland thanking Epstein for his friendship. Target 7 tracked down the original email from the Epstein files, and found it was actually signed by Gary King, not Haaland.
The ad was funded by a newly formed political action committee, Accountable New Mexico, which is backed by four New Mexico businessmen. Bregman is not associated with the ad, but in a separate ad funded by his campaign, he said, “Unlike others, I am not in the Epstein files. So I can hold perpetrators who committed crimes at Epstein’s ranch accountable.”
