Epstein's Former Assistant Testifies Before Congress, Provides Names and Details on Trump Phone Calls
Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein's personal assistant for 18 years, testified before the House Oversight Committee and provided names of people in Epstein's orbit while acknowledging she arranged phone calls between Epstein and Donald Trump before his 2016 election. Groff claimed she was unaware of Epstein's crimes and believed the young women she booked for massages were legitimate massage therapists. The testimony is significant because it provides congressional investigators with potential witnesses and raises questions about the extent of connections between Trump and Epstein, though Trump's team maintains he was exonerated.
Lesley Groff, 59, testified in a closed-door House Oversight Committee session on Tuesday, providing lawmakers with names of staff and employees who worked in Epstein's organization during her 18-year tenure beginning in 2001. According to multiple sources, Groff acknowledged arranging multiple phone calls between Epstein and Trump prior to Trump's 2016 presidential election, though she characterized these instances as infrequent and did not specify when they occurred. Groff maintained that she was unaware of Epstein's crimes and believed the young women and girls she scheduled for massages were legitimate massage therapists, characterizing Epstein as a master manipulator who deliberately concealed his activities from her. However, some Democratic lawmakers expressed skepticism about her claims of ignorance given her 18-year tenure and close working relationship with Epstein. The testimony revealed that Groff was previously named as an unindicted co-conspirator in Epstein's 2008 non-prosecution agreement and has been cited in lawsuits as the person who facilitated access to victims, though she has not faced criminal charges.
What's missing
The article does not clarify the nature, frequency, or content of the Trump-Epstein phone calls beyond that they occurred, nor does it explain what specific investigative questions the committee is pursuing or what legislative outcomes might result from this testimony. Additionally, limited context is provided about why this testimony is occurring now, years after Epstein's 2019 death.
What different sources said
- NewsweekCenter
Epstein Files Update: Personal Assistant Gives Congress 'A Lot of Names'
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