Lauge Risom Koch 
New testimony from Jeffrey Epstein’s former assistant is prompting fresh debate over Donald Trump’s past relationship with the financier.
New congressional testimony from a former assistant to Jeffrey Epstein is fueling renewed scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s past relationship with the convicted sex offender.
According to Raw Story, two legal commentators argue that the newly released transcript raises questions about the timeline of Trump’s contacts with Epstein, though no new allegations of criminal wrongdoing against the president have been made.
New testimony
Raw Story reports that Lesley Groff, a longtime assistant to Jeffrey Epstein, recently testified before Congress about her work for the disgraced financier.
According to the published transcript, Groff said she began working for Epstein in 2001 and that Trump and Epstein remained in contact for roughly a decade.
Legal analyst Brian Kabateck said that timeline appears to conflict with Trump’s previous public statements that he stopped communicating with Epstein around 2004 or 2005.
Kabateck also argued that the reported timeline extends beyond Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor, calling that aspect “problematic.”
Experts weigh in
According to Raw Story, the comments were made during an episode of the Civil Action podcast on the Legal AF Network.
Podcast co-host Shant Karnikian said the issue has become politically significant for Trump.
“Early on, we talked about Epstein, and we thought this is a sideshow,” Karnikian said, according to Raw Story. “It’s become a big problem for him.”
He added: “It’s clear that he has something to hide here.”
Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said he distanced himself from the financier years before Epstein’s legal troubles became public.
Sources: Raw Story
