US Politics
Epstein survivors demand release of remaining files in Super Bowl ad: ‘Time for the truth’
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A group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors appeared in a commercial run during the Super Bowl on Sunday in which they called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release the government’s remaining files on the pedophile.
The eight women are shown in the clip with their mouths covered by smears of black marker pen, pointedly mimicking the redactions made to the published files by DOJ lawyers.
“After years of being kept apart, we’re standing together,” they say, holding up photographs of their younger selves dating from the period in which they were sexually abused by the billionaire. “Because we all deserve the truth.”
“Stand with us,” the video from the anti-slavery organization, World Without Exploitation, concludes: “Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi it’s time for the truth.”
The decision to run the 40-second segment in the middle of the most-watched U.S. TV event of the year, the NFL championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, was made to ensure maximum exposure.
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The near-unanimous passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November set in motion a 30-day deadline for the complete release of the DOJ’s files on Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York City jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial.
But the department published only a small portion of the files on December 19, followed by a second, slightly larger tranche on December 23, and then, five weeks later, a much bigger release, consisting of three million pages of documents, including 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a White House press briefing in support of the January 30 release that the approximately 3.5 million files published were all the DOJ could safely make available from the more than six million in its possession without compromising the victims of Epstein’s crimes.
He denied that the department was withholding the remainder in order to protect rich and powerful associates of Epstein and insisted the redactions had been made to safeguard the survivors and to avoid compromising active investigations.
Members of Congress will be able to peruse the withheld files by visiting a private room within the DOJ and accessing a secure terminal as of Monday, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.
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While President Donald Trump has insisted it is now time to “move on” from the furore over Epstein, the latest release has inspired fresh outrage, particularly over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson’s ties to the disgraced financier.
Among those supporting the survivors’ call for further disclosures in response to the commercial was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“The most important ad you will see on Super Bowl Sunday, he wrote on X in a comment accompanying the clip.
“You don’t ‘move on’ from the largest sex trafficking ring in the world. You expose it. #StandWithSurvivors.”
