Former Epstein assistant Lesley Groff appears before House panel

Lesley Groff has appeared for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The former Jeffrey Epstein assistant spoke to lawmakers as the panel continues reviewing people connected to Epstein.

• Lesley Groff appeared for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
• Groff denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes, according to a source cited by MS NOW.
• The DOJ files dispute continues after officials withheld about 2.5 million additional Epstein-related records.

Her appearance came one day before Bill Gates was scheduled to speak with the same committee.

Lesley Groff denies knowledge of Epstein crimes

A source familiar with the interview said Groff denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes. “I never saw anything improper,” Groff told the committee, according to the source cited by MS NOW. Groff worked for Epstein for nearly 20 years and handled scheduling duties. 

MS NOW reported that her name appears more than 150,000 times in Justice Department Epstein files. Her work included arranging meetings with prominent people and scheduling massages for Epstein. Neither Groff nor Gates has faced charges linked to Epstein, according to the report.

Groff’s attorney, Michael Bachner, has denied any criminal role by his client. “She had no criminal involvement with Epstein,” Bachner said in March. Bachner also said Groff felt disgusted by Epstein’s conduct and heartbroken for his victims. House Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben attended the interview for an unclear reason.

House panel continues Epstein interviews

Rep. James Comer, who chairs the committee, said the interviews have helped the inquiry. “I think the interviews that we’ve done have been very productive,” Comer told reporters.

Comer said the committee referred two unnamed individuals to the Department of Justice. He did not disclose the names or the reasons for the referrals. The Kentucky Republican said the panel wants more information from people linked to Epstein. He described the interviews as part of an accountability effort.

“We’re bringing in the most important people in the whole Epstein criminal enterprise,” Comer said. He added that some of those people remain alive and available to lawmakers. Asked about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Comer referenced earlier briefings from Justice Department officials. He said Democrats already questioned Blanche during a March briefing on Epstein files.

DOJ files dispute continues in Washington

Congress passed a bill in November requiring the Justice Department to release Epstein-related documents. President Donald Trump signed the measure after opposing it during the legislative process. The Justice Department has released millions of documents from the Epstein case. However, Blanche said on January 30 that the DOJ withheld about 2.5 million more records.

Blanche also said the department would not release more files at that time. Epstein victims objected to the Justice Department’s decision, according to the report. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told the committee she assigned Blanche to handle the files. The committee interviewed Bondi two weeks before Groff’s appearance.

Trump formally nominated Blanche as attorney general on Monday. The post requires Senate confirmation, and Blanche previously served as Trump’s criminal defense lawyer. Trump fired Bondi in April over her handling of the Epstein files controversy. Gates was due to speak with the House Oversight panel the day after Groff’s interview.