Published on 6/25/2026
In her first extensive public testimony before the US Congress, Leslie Grove, the executive assistant close to the American billionaire convicted of sexual crimes Jeffrey Epstein for nearly two decades, denied knowledge of any sexual crimes or sexual trafficking operations that were linked to the name of the late businessman, stressing that she was a victim of his deception like many of those who surrounded him, and that he was “adept at manipulation” and concealing his true activities from those working with him.
A report in the American Wall Street Journal explained that Grove’s testimony, which worked with Epstein between 2001 and 2019, came during a hearing held by the Oversight Committee in the US House of Representatives on June 9, the details of which were published this week.
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She said that the committee sought to clarify the extent of Epstein’s closest associates’ knowledge of the activities that led to his conviction and accusation of sexual trafficking and exploitation of minors.
Didn’t see anything suspicious
Grove said that she had been organizing massage sessions for Epstein for many years, but she did not see anything suspicious in that. When she was asked about the presence of more than 75 women listed in Epstein’s records as massage therapists, she explained that the man had a very wide network of acquaintances and relationships in various fields, and that the large number of names in his contact book was not unusual from her point of view.
She confirmed that she was content with making short phone calls to arrange appointments based on names and numbers provided to her personally by Epstein, noting that she had not met most of these women and had not received from any of them anything that suggested that they were minors or had been subjected to any exploitation or assault.
Wall Street Journal:
Grove’s testimony revealed that she sometimes arranged travel, accommodation, and even some personal appointments for women whom Epstein described as “travel assistants,” but a number of these women later emerged as victims of the sex trafficking network linked to him.
Travel assistance
The newspaper’s report indicated that Grove’s testimony revealed that she sometimes organized travel, accommodation, and even some personal appointments for women whom Epstein described as “travel assistants,” but a number of these women later appeared among the victims of the sex trafficking network associated with him.
Grove said – according to the Wall Street Journal – that she believed at the time that these women were actually working as personal assistants who accompanied him on his travels and performed some daily tasks for him, stressing that they did not show her signs of distress or coercion.
She added that the nature of working with Epstein seemed to her exhausting and required constant movement, which also made her believe that it required multiple assistance.
You don’t remember the exact details
When asked about providing housing or hotel rooms for some women, some of whom entered the United States without proper visas, she said that she did not remember the exact details, but she acknowledged the possibility that she had carried out instructions to secure housing for them.
The testimony also touched on the travel arrangements she was making for Epstein, a number of his female assistants, and some women who were meeting with him in New York and other cities.
She described one of the trips mentioned in the FBI files as a “camouflage trip,” explaining that one of the young women wanted to visit Epstein without informing her parents of her real destination, so an apparent trip to London was arranged while the actual destination was different.
Some victims’ testimonies were rejected
Grove refused categorically – According to the report – the testimonies of some survivors who confirmed that she was aware of what was going on, and she referred to one of the victims who said that she told Grove that she was a minor when she began providing massage sessions to Epstein at the age of 15, stressing that this never happened, and she said that she sympathized with the victim, but she was convinced that the latter had made a mistake in remembering the person to whom she had reported this information.
In response to a question about whether there were indicators that should have raised her suspicions at the time, Grove said that she wished that anyone had submitted a complaint to her or requested assistance, stressing that she would have immediately resorted to the competent authorities.
She added that she saw most of the people around Epstein as happy with the opportunities he provided for them, and she even believed that some of them were fortunate that their life circumstances improved through that relationship.
Professional scammer
The committee also addressed emails found in the investigation files, which showed that Grove forwarded messages containing photos of young women to Epstein.
She responded that her memory was not sufficient to remember those messages, but she suggested that some of them were related to the search for new travel assistants, while one of the women in the photos looked, according to her estimation, as if she was working in the field of modeling.
At the conclusion of her testimony, Groff maintained her position that she was not aware of Epstein’s criminal activities, and did not arrange massage appointments for any of the influential figures associated with him.
She described her former boss as “a professional at manipulation and deception,” stressing that he deliberately kept those close to him separated from each other and from the details of his real life, and that he succeeded in misleading everyone about the nature of his activities.
