Epstein’s Longtime Assistant Tells Oversight Committee ‘nobody Ever Sounded Like They Were Underage’ In Closed-door Interview

A erstwhile adjunct to Jeffrey Epstein booked appointments for her employer “almost daily” but denied ever scheduling appointments pinch group she believed were underage, according to a transcript of her question and reply pinch members of Congress investigating nan precocious activity offender.

Lesley Groff, Epstein’s erstwhile executive assistant, appeared voluntarily for a closed-door interview pinch nan House Oversight Committee to “dispel nan mendacious notions” that she “knowingly enabled aliases conspired pinch him to perpetrate his evil acts.”

Throughout her eight-hour question and reply connected June 9, an often-incredulous sheet questioned really Groff, who worked for Epstein for 18 years, was unaware of his abuse.

“You want america to judge that aft 18 years moving successful nan employment of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein that not connected 1 juncture did you judge that immoderate of your contacts successful mounting up these appointments pinch Jeffrey Epstein were either a insignificant aliases an underage person, correct?” asked Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.

"That is correct," Groff replied.

“Okay,” Krishnamoorthi responded. “This strains credibility, Ms. Groff.”

An lawyer for nan committee besides asked Groff whether a 14-year-old kid “sounds nan aforesaid arsenic a personification successful their 20s aliases 30s aliases 40s.”

“It’s possible. I don’t know. I was not evaluating voices,” Groff replied. “It — cipher ever sounded for illustration they were underage.”

Groff’s interview, which was not nether oath, marks nan first clip that she has faced questions astir her connections to Epstein since she initially said to nan FBI successful 2021, 2 years aft Epstein died successful prison. She was initially identified arsenic a imaginable co-conspirator successful nan lawsuit against Epstein but was ne'er charged.

“It is important for nan committee to understand that, to my knowledge, I ne'er met immoderate of these masseuses,” she said successful her opening remarks. “None of these women aliases anyone other ever told maine they were minors aliases that they were sexually abused. Nothing I heard aliases saw led maine to judge otherwise.”

Groff worked for Epstein from 2001 to July 2019, erstwhile nan able and well-connected financier was arrested connected national activity trafficking charges.

She has ne'er been charged pinch a crime and has denied immoderate wrongdoing successful relationship pinch nan pedophile. Her lawyers person besides maintained that she was not alert of his crimes.

Massages were a “normal portion of his day,” she told lawmakers.

“I didn't cognize their ages astatine all. It was a normal portion of his day,” she said. “To me, it was for illustration a luxury. I couldn’t judge that personification would salary for — you know, do that for, you know, each day. That was a luxury you did erstwhile a year.”

Epstein would telephone her pinch “literally dozens” of tasks each morning, she told nan panel.

“I had nary free time. I went from task to task. I had 2 phones connected my table ringing constantly,” she said. “Almost daily, I made massage appointments for Mr. Epstein. He provided maine nan sanction and telephone number of a masseuse, and I called her. These calls lasted virtually a fewer seconds.”

Sometimes masseuses called nan agency and asked if Epstein wanted a massage, and Epstein often directed Groff to put massages for his guests, she said.

“To me, nan fewer minutes it took to put massages for Mr. Epstein were conscionable portion of his routine, for illustration going to nan gym was for immoderate people,” she said.

Epstein “lied” to her aft his apprehension successful 2008 and “insisted that he had been blackmailed and group up,” she told nan panel.

That year, Epstein signed a arguable plea statement admitting to soliciting a insignificant for prostitution, an statement criticized arsenic a “sweetheart” woody that helped him evade much superior national charges and a longer situation sentence.

“He angrily said that nan allegations against him were false, and he had nary thought that nan women he had interaction pinch was a minor,” Groff said. “It was a shakedown, he claimed, for money. In my mind, that was nan logic that he was treated truthful leniently by rule enforcement for specified a superior crime.”

Epstein convinced her to proceed moving for him, she said.

“I really believed that he had been group up. I believed that he could beryllium benignant and generous and caring because of nan measurement he often treated maine and others. I cognize now that this kindness was a destruction and conscionable a portion of his manipulation,” she told nan committee.

Epstein was arrested successful 2019 connected national charges of trafficking minors, and he died successful a New York City jailhouse while awaiting trial. His decease was ruled a suicide.

In nan years aft his 2019 arrest, she has struggled to slumber and eat, faced harassment and decease threats, and has been “shunned” by friends, she said.

Her “heart breaks” for survivors of his abuse, she told nan panel.

“I judge them. Words cannot definitive really severely I consciousness that I was employed by Mr. Epstein during nan clip he abused these women,” she said. “I will unrecorded pinch that horrible emotion for nan remainder of my life.”

The committee’s months-long Epstein investigation is moving parallel to national and authorities probes into nan pedophile and his alleged ties to a powerful web that abused young women and girls.

The Department of Justice nether President Donald Trump, who is eager to move connected from nan years of scrutiny into Epstein and his subordinate Ghislaine Maxwell, has released millions of documents successful nan government’s possession but has not prosecuted others successful Epstein’s orbit.

Earlier this month, nan committee referred 2 men to nan Justice Department for criminal prosecution after a survivor’s intersexual battle allegations, marking nan first specified move aft a bid of interviews and legislature hearings.

Democrats connected nan committee person many times urged grounds from nan president, though Trump has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, and one’s quality successful nan Epstein files does not propose otherwise. Trump has many times denied immoderate wrongdoing successful relationship pinch Epstein and insists he trim ties pinch Epstein years earlier nan able pedophile was nether investigation.

The committee besides is expected to perceive grounds from Alan Dershowitz, adding to a database of high-profile figures who person sat for interviews, including Bill Gates, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Following nan committee’s question and reply pinch erstwhile Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was fired by Trump earlier this year, her predecessor Todd Blanche could beryllium adjacent successful statement for a closed-door session.