Editorial illustration
# Epstein Survivors Furious as Former Assistant Lesley Groff Claims Ignorance in Congressional Testimony
Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant, sat before the House Oversight Committee this week and told lawmakers something that strains credulity to the breaking point: she knew nothing. Nothing about the crimes, nothing about the exploitation, nothing about the systematic abuse happening under the roof where she worked for years. According to CNN’s reporting on her testimony, Groff claimed she believed the massage appointments she scheduled were legitimate, that Epstein was merely a “master manipulator” who kept his crimes hidden from her, and that both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell instructed her not to associate with their friends or colleagues.
The problem is that survivors have been telling a very different story for years. Multiple victims told the FBI that Groff was their point of contact, the person they called to reach Epstein and schedule those very same massage sessions where abuse occurred. Government emails from the Epstein files show Groff booked Epstein’s domestic and international travel. She was even listed as a potential co-conspirator in the sweetheart non-prosecution deal Epstein cut with federal prosecutors back in 2008, the one that let him walk away with a slap on the wrist while his victims were silenced.
“One of the hardest parts for survivors is hearing the people who were closest to Epstein claim they saw nothing,” said Sharlene Rochard, one of Epstein’s victims, in a statement to CNN. “That doesn’t match my experience. Survivors deserve answers, not claims of ignorance.” She’s right. The pattern is maddeningly familiar at this point: inner circle members who were instrumental to Epstein’s operation suddenly developing collective amnesia when accountability comes knocking. Ghislaine Maxwell played the same tune before her conviction. Now Groff, who has been making these claims since 2021 when her lawyers first announced she had “never witnessed anything improper,” gets to repeat them under oath before a congressional committee.
What makes this testimony particularly galling is the timing. The Epstein files have been trickling out, revealing more about the network that enabled Epstein’s crimes for decades. The American people are finally getting a glimpse of how the justice system failed these women, how powerful connections protected a predator, and how many people had to look the other way for it all to continue. Groff’s testimony isn’t happening in a vacuum; it’s happening while survivors are still fighting for recognition, while questions about who else was involved remain unanswered, and while the full scope of the cover-up is still emerging.
The House Oversight Committee is right to keep pressing this issue, even if the witnesses keep stonewalling. Every time someone like Groff claims ignorance, it adds another piece to the puzzle of how this operation functioned and who enabled it. But let’s be clear about what this is: it’s not a credible denial, it’s a strategy. Claim you saw nothing, claim you were manipulated, claim you were just doing your job, and hope the spotlight moves on. The survivors deserve better than this theater. They deserve the truth, and they deserve accountability for everyone who helped Epstein prey on vulnerable women and girls for years.
About The Author
