Epstein files: Sarah Kellen, personal assistant to convicted sex offender, says she was abused for years: Details | Today’s news

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime personal assistant, Sarah Kellen, told the US House Oversight Committee on Thursday (local time) that she was “sexually and psychologically abused” by the late financier for more than a decade.

ABC News reported on Kellen’s claims, according to a copy of her prepared opening statement, in which she said, “He groomed me, sexually and psychologically abused me, controlled me, manipulated me, controlled me and gaslighted me until I could no longer tell which thoughts were mine and which were his.”

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The closed-door hearing was part of an ongoing House Oversight Committee investigation into how federal authorities handled sex offender investigations.

Epstein’s longtime assistant appears for questioning

Kellen, 47, was previously the subject of a criminal investigation but never charged, in part because of her own allegations of ongoing sexual abuse by the disgraced financier, according to court documents and records released earlier this year by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Before Kellen’s appearance, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters that it “will be the toughest yet.” Comer said, “Well, this is a witness who was Mr. Epstein’s personal assistant. She was also a victim of Mr. Epstein. So we’re bringing her in,” adding, “We have a lot of questions about everything from day-to-day activities to what she saw and what she knows, and hopefully that will help us as we continue our investigation.”

What did Epstein’s longtime assistant reveal?

In her planned statement, Kellen noted that she was hired as an assistant to a convicted felon by a co-worker at a hotel in Hawaii, where she moved after getting married at 17. She claimed that after her divorce and excommunication from her church, she was left alone and ended up becoming a “perfect target” for Epstein.

Kellen said, “I was 21 years old, far away from where I grew up, stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere, with no college degree, no family, no friends, no money and no place to live.”

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According to her statement, her work with Epstein began with a training period when she initially accompanied him on his private jet to his homes around the country, to the Virgin Islands, Florida and New York, where she was, she says, “surrounded by unimaginable luxury.”

She went on to say that after months of unpaid work, he “ordered me to bathe him on his island, then ordered me to strip and come in with him and said, ‘The job is yours. Now you have to keep it,'” she said in the statement. “He then pulled me onto the bed and explained what ‘keeping a job’ entailed. It was only after I submitted to his sexual abuse that the payments began,” she added.

Kellen told the jury that Epstein’s abuse occurred “on a weekly basis” and that the late sex offender was violent at times, including an incident in Palm Beach where she said he forcibly choked and raped her.

Kellen’s appearance comes as the committee ramps up its investigation, which was officially launched in February last year. Other high-profile witnesses expected in the coming months include Epstein’s longtime executive assistant Leslie Groff, former US Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and billionaires Bill Gates and Leon Black.

The committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said a report on its findings is expected by the end of the year.

Following the death of a convicted sex offender in August 2019, prosecutors in New York investigated possible associates involved in discussions with Kellen and her attorneys that lasted more than a year. Documents released by the Justice Department earlier this year included prosecutors’ internal evaluation of the potential case against Kellen and emails from her lawyers trying to dissuade the government from filing charges.

DOJ records indicate that the government did not dispute Kellen’s claim that she was also a victim of abuse by Epstein, noting that her account was consistent with statements from other former Epstein employees who also reported alleged sexual exploitation.

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Kellen’s testimony highlights how extensive Epstein’s network was and how authorities handled the case, which is still under detailed investigation, including allegations of abuse and possible criminal liability.

Key things

• Kellen’s testimony underscores the psychological manipulation they often abuse.
• The ongoing investigation into Epstein’s network points to systemic failures in handling allegations of abuse.
• Victims’ voices are essential to uncovering the full extent of exploitation and seeking accountability.