Who is Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein's former assistant being interviewed in House probe?

By — Maria Ramirez Uribe Maria Ramirez Uribe Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/who-is-lesley-groff-jeffrey-epsteins-former-assistant-being-interviewed-in-house-probe Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Who is Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein's former assistant being interviewed in House probe? Politics Jun 9, 2026 10:15 AM EDT Lesley Groff, longtime assistant to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is scheduled to sit for a closed-door transcribed interview on Tuesday before the House Oversight Committee. Groff worked for Epstein from 2001 to July 2019, when the late, disgraced financier was arrested on sex-trafficking charges. Her name appears more than 160,000 times in the millions of documents the Justice Department has released related to Epstein. Groff has never been charged with a crime and, despite working closely with Epstein, her lawyers have maintained that she was unaware of Epstein's illicit activities. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Groff's voluntary interview is part of the committee's ongoing investigation into the federal government's handling of cases involving Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Another one of Epstein's assistants, Sarah Kellen, testified before the committee in May. READ MORE: Former Epstein assistant Sarah Kellen testified before the House committee. Here's what we know Other notable figures who have provided testimony include former President Bill Clinton , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick , former Attorney General Pam Bondi and a former prison guard who was working the night before the financier was found dead in his cell. From across the political spectrum and the worlds of finance, entertainment and beyond, a number of powerful figures have emerged in the Epstein documents released by the DOJ. Inclusion in the files does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing, but the fallout has led to some high-profile resignations and calls for more accountability. Why does the committee want to talk to Groff? Groff worked for Epstein for nearly two decades in New York, managing his schedule, including by setting up daily massages for him. According to Epstein's 2019 indictment on sex-trafficking charges, massages were how his survivors were initially recruited. Epstein paid women and girls for the massages, "which would be performed nude or partially nude, would become increasingly sexual in nature, and would typically include one or more sex acts." In a 2021 interview with prosecutors, Groff said the massages were "presented like it was totally normal." Maxwell instructed Groff not to fraternize with Epstein or the people she spoke with on the phone, including Epstein's friends, according to Groff's 2021 interview. A few weeks into working for Epstein, Groff went to a party she was invited