Deliberative process privilege allows US government agencies to withhold documents which reflect decision-making processes, while attorney-client privilege is intended to protect the confidentiality of communications between lawyers and clients.
Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche said last month that the most recent release of material, on 30 January, “marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process”.
Blanche also said there was a “built in assumption that somehow there’s this hidden tranche of information of men that we know about that we’re covering up or that we’re not we’re choosing not to prosecute”, before adding “that is not the case”.
Sunday’s advert featuring the survivors began with a text slate on screen that said: “On November 19, 2025, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law.”
It continued with a statement that said: “3 MILLION FILES Still Have Not Been Released.”
The survivors appeared with black redaction marks over their mouths, addressed the camera directly and each said “we’re standing together”.
The advert concluded with a call for people to “stand with us” and “Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi IT’S TIME FOR THE TRUTH”.
While the video was released on the day of the Super Bowl it was not aired on television during the match, which traditionally has the largest television audience in the US.
The group told the Reuters news agency it could not afford to air a commercial during the game, noting that a 30-second Super Bowl advertisement can cost “more than $8 million (£5.9m)”.
The DOJ’s release of documents has shed light on the disgraced financier’s close association with many prominent people.
However, the justice department has faced heavy scrutiny after missing the 19 December deadline to release all files as mandated in the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed Congress and was signed into law in November.
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, with officials saying his death was an apparent suicide.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is scheduled to appear before the congressional committee investigating the federal government’s handling of the Epstein files on Monday.
She has agreed to testify under oath but her legal team previously said she would decline to answer questions under her constitutional right to remain silent unless she is granted legal immunity.