Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has said he is willing to pay the legal defence costs of anyone who “speaks the truth” about Jeffrey Epstein and is sued, as survivors of the late financier’s sex crimes renewed demands for the full release of government files related to the case.
Musk’s comments came amid renewed public attention following the release of a survivor-led video campaign on Super Bowl Sunday calling on the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to disclose millions of Epstein-related documents that remain unreleased.
The 40-second advert, produced by anti-human trafficking advocacy group World Without Exploitation, features survivors holding photographs of their younger selves and urging authorities to reveal the truth about what they describe as one of the largest sex trafficking networks in modern history.
The video states that despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act being signed into law in November, “3 million files still have not been released.” Survivors appear with black redaction marks over their mouths and address Attorney General Pam Bondi directly, saying: “It’s time for the truth.”
Several US lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, reposted the video on X.
“You don’t ‘move on’ from the largest sex trafficking ring in the world,” Schumer wrote. “You expose it.”
The advert was released on the day of the Super Bowl but was not aired during the broadcast, with the group saying it could not afford the cost of a commercial, which can exceed $8 million for 30 seconds.
Musk’s intervention followed a response to the video by right-wing commentator Matt Walsh, who questioned the timing of the survivors’ campaign and suggested that alleged abusers could be named publicly by lawmakers without legal risk.
Musk replied to Walsh’s post on X, saying: “I will pay for the defense of anyone who speaks the truth about this and is sued for doing so.” He did not explain how he would determine which claims were truthful.
The comments came days after the Justice Department released a further tranche of Epstein-related documents, which included several previously undisclosed email exchanges between Musk and Epstein dating back to 2012. In one email, Musk asked Epstein about parties on his private island, while in another he discussed plans to “hit the party scene” in St Barts.
Musk has said he never visited Epstein’s island and declined repeated invitations to do so. Responding to the latest document release, he said he had “very little correspondence” with Epstein and warned that his emails could be “misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name.” He also said he had long supported the full release of the Epstein files.
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 jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in what officials ruled an apparent suicide.
His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a prison sentence for her role in recruiting and abusing underage girls. She is scheduled to appear before a congressional committee investigating the government’s handling of the Epstein files though her lawyers have said she may refuse to answer questions unless granted immunity.
Survivors and advocacy groups say the case remains unresolved until all documents are released and accountability is fully established.
