WASHINGTON — Lesley Groff, a longtime personal assistant to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, needed to be physically supported as she appeared Tuesday on Capitol Hill for an interview with House lawmakers.
The House Oversight Committee will be conducting its 14th interview with Groff, who had evaded civil charges and denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes in the past, as part of a probe into the Department of Justice’s handling of its cases against the deceased financier and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
She entered the Oversight hearing room with lawmakers and staff propped up on either side by a man and a woman who were walking with her.
“The more evidence I see, the more people we interview — It’s apparent the government did not do a good job investigating Epstein and Maxwell and their crimes,” Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters.
“We are trying to make up for lost time. I think the interviews that we’ve done have been very productive,” he added. “Hopefully we’ll get the truth to the American people.”
The Oversight Committee has already referred two individuals — former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and French celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai — to the DOJ for further investigation after ex-Epstein “lieutenant” Sarah Kellen accused both of sexual misconduct in a recent interview with the panel.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said it was “really important for us to talk to someone that did Epstein’s schedule” ahead of Groff’s interview.
“It’s also important that he described her as someone that was very close,” he noted.
