Jeffrey Epstein's Former Assistant Lesley Groff Testifies Before House Oversight Committee

Lesley Groff, who served as Epstein's executive assistant from 2001 until his arrest in July 2019, appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday in a closed-door transcribed interview, telling lawmakers she was unaware of Epstein's crimes and believed the massage appointments she scheduled were routine professional sessions. In her prepared opening remarks, Groff called Epstein a 'monster' and a 'master manipulator' who deliberately separated his criminal activities from his legitimate professional life. Groff's name appears more than 150,000 times in the millions of Epstein-related documents released by the Department of Justice, and she was named as a potential co-conspirator in his controversial 2008 non-prosecution agreement, though she has never faced criminal charges. Notably, Newsweek reported that Groff told the committee she arranged multiple phone calls between Epstein and Donald Trump prior to Trump's 2016 election, though she said such contacts were infrequent and she was unaware of any Mar-a-Lago employees visiting Epstein's residence. Committee chair Rep. James Comer praised Groff as 'very forthcoming,' while some Democrats, including Rep. Stephen Lynch, expressed skepticism about her claims of ignorance given her 18-year tenure. Following Groff's testimony, Comer announced he is working to bring Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche before the panel in July and plans to invite attorney Alan Dershowitz for questioning, as the committee continues its investigation into the federal government's handling of the Epstein case.