Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant gave the Home Oversight Committee three new names of alleged abusers within the convicted intercourse offender’s community — a revelation that committee chairman James Comer described as a promising lead in his panel’s investigation into Epstein’s misdeeds.
The assistant, Sarah Kellen, supplied the names in a closed-door interview on Thursday, Comer stated. He declined to call the people, however stated they weren’t beforehand recognized and promised to launch a transcript of Kellen’s interview as quickly as attainable.
“The brand new names, that’s what we’ve been ready for,” Comer stated, including, “I’m extra optimistic immediately than I’ve been a very long time.”
Kellen is a polarizing determine in Epstein’s orbit whose work with the disgraced late financier gave her entry to vital data on his actions. In 2007, she was labeled by legislation enforcement as certainly one of Epstein’s potential co-conspirators, and lots of consider she helped him recruit and abuse women. However she has described herself as a sufferer of Epstein’s abuse, and a few observers acknowledge her expertise is difficult, even when legislation enforcement did examine her for probably aiding Epstein.
All through hours of closed-door testimony on Thursday, Kellen stated she was not Epstein’s co-conspirator and had no thought she was going to be named in Epstein’s non-prosecution settlement from the early 2000s. Quite the opposite, Kellen testified she “labored for and was sexually and psychologically abused by Jeffrey Epstein,” in line with a duplicate of her opening remarks shared with CNN.
Kellen described in graphic element a number of the sexual abuse she says she endured.
“I would like this Committee to know that the abuse occurred on common on a weekly foundation, and was at instances violent,” Kellen stated, in line with the remarks. “It included Jeffrey getting into my room in the midst of the evening and placing his fingers inside me, waking me up from my sleep. It included an event in Palm Seaside when he trapped me within the fitness center by decreasing the steel hurricane shutter, blasted the music so loud that nobody might hear, choked me, and violently raped me.”
Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury advised reporters that she requested Kellen about her expertise at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch, the place a state investigation is ongoing, and Kellen stated that was one of many locations she was abused by Epstein.
Kellen stated that for years, it was merely not attainable for her to depart Epstein’s highly effective grip: “I had nowhere else to go. I had no cash, no household, no training, and no sense that I deserved any higher.”
Stansbury stated she additionally requested Kellen if she believed Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell ought to have been moved to a decrease safety jail or if Maxwell ought to obtain a presidential pardon. To each questions, Kellen stated no, and even solid blame on Maxwell for a few of Epstein’s wrongdoing, saying “Maxwell turned Epstein into the monster he turned,” in line with Stansbury.
Home Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) speaks to reporters earlier than Jeffrey Epstein’s former assistant Sarah Kellen testifies at a closed-door interview with the Home Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday in Washington, DC. – Andrew Harnik/Getty Pictures
Comer stated that the Justice Division didn’t interview Kellen till 2019, arguing that was an instance that investigators had mishandled the Epstein case. CNN has reached out to the Justice Division for remark.
“Extra proof emerges each time we convey any person in that the federal government failed the victims. That’s the apparent,” Comer acknowledged.
Comer stated that after listening to her testimony, he believes Kellen was a sufferer of Epstein’s crimes, not a possible co-conspirator.
“Of all of the those that we’ve interviewed to date, this was by far essentially the most substantive and productive interview that we’ve had. She was very courageous coming ahead. I can’t think about how troublesome it was for her to enter element in regards to the abuse that she endured by the hands of Epstein and Maxwell,” Comer stated.
However others stated they’d extra questions for Kellen. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi stated the panel ought to contemplate bringing Kellen again in for an interview underneath subpoena as a result of there have been a variety of questions Kellen didn’t reply within the voluntary setting of Thursday’s interview.
“What I need to hear is extra dialogue about different actors, different entities, different girls, who else have been potential conspirators on this,” Krishnamoorthi stated.
One other supply acquainted with Kellen’s testimony advised CNN that whereas Kellen was keen to reply questions on her personal abuse, she wouldn’t share any details about the abuse she knew others to have suffered.
And whereas Kellen stated she by no means witnessed any inappropriate conduct by President Donald Trump, she testified that she believed that Epstein and Trump have been as soon as shut on condition that Epstein had pictures of Trump hanging round all of Epstein’s properties, the supply added.
Comer stated that Kellen testified that Epstein used to go to Mar-a-Lago to exercise, however Trump kicked him out as a result of Epstein “hit on a members’ daughter or one thing.”
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