Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein's former executive secretary, has told a congressional panel that she arranged multiple phone calls between the late financier and President Donald Trump. The disclosure emerged from a closed-door interview with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday.
Groff, who worked for Epstein for more than 18 years starting in 2001, maintained that she had no awareness of his sex trafficking activities. Her testimony sheds new light on the pair's relationship in the years before it reportedly soured.
Who Is Lesley Groff, Epstein's Trusted Executive Secretary
Groff served as Epstein's right-hand for nearly two decades in New York, handling his demanding schedule of meetings with politicians, celebrities, scientists and business leaders. Her name appears more than 150,000 times in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice.
Among her duties were booking daily massage appointments and arranging travel for young women, tasks she described as routine administrative work. Her responsibilities included scheduling meetings, making phone calls, coordinating with Epstein's driver and chef, and managing much of his daily schedule and appointments. An ABC News report described Epstein once referred to her as an 'extension of my brain'.
She was named as a potential co-conspirator in his 2007 non-prosecution agreement but was never charged. Groff has consistently denied any involvement in or knowledge of criminal conduct. As one Instagram reel from ABC News noted, 'The House Oversight Committee conducted a closed-door interview on Tuesday with Lesley Groff, who worked as an executive secretary to Jeffrey Epstein in New York for more than 18 years.'
Arranging Calls Between Epstein and President Trump
During the interview, Groff confirmed she set up phone calls between Epstein and Trump on a regular basis before their falling-out. Representative Stephen Lynch reported that Groff arranged multiple phone calls between the pair before Trump became president.
Other committee members, including Democrats Robert Garcia and Melanie Stansbury, echoed that she had provided details of these connections. The revelation comes amid the committee's broader inquiry into Epstein's network. Groff insisted the interactions were professional and infrequent, though she offered no further specifics on their content.
A TikTok video from MS NOW highlighted how Groff's name appears in the Epstein files more than 160,000 times and that she arranged meetings with prominent figures and set up massages for him with women.
@msnow Jeffrey Epstein's longtime assistant Lesley Groff was interviewed by the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday. Groff's name appears in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department more than 160,000 times. She arranged meetings with prominent figures and set up massages for him with women. “I never saw anything improper,” Groff told members of the committee, a source familiar with the matter told MS NOW. MS NOW'S Mychael Schnell has the latest. #news #politics
♬ original sound - MS NOW
Testimony Highlights Groff's Claims of Ignorance
Groff told the panel that Epstein was a 'master manipulator' who kept her in the dark about his wrongdoing. She maintained that she believed the massage appointments she scheduled involved legitimate therapists and that no one ever mentioned minors or abuse to her. She is reported to have stressed that she was not a conspirator, emphasising that nothing in her daily work suggested illicit activity.
Democrats on the committee have questioned the plausibility of her limited role, citing her central position in Epstein's operations. Republicans described her testimony as cooperative. The session was part of an ongoing probe that has already heard from other associates and survivors.
As the House Oversight Committee digests the latest evidence, Groff's account adds to the public record on Epstein's high-society ties. According to CT Insider, the former assistant continues to live quietly in Connecticut in a home valued at $4.2 million (£3 million), with no charges ever filed against her. Further transcripts and details from the interview are expected to be released in due course.
