Wyden Presses Oversight Committee to Dig Deeper Into Black’s Epstein Ties (7/3/26)

Lesley Groff And The Transcript From Her Epstein Related Trip to Congress (Part 1) (7/3/26)

Lesley Groff told the House Oversight Committee that she worked for Jeffrey Epstein from February 2001 until July 2019 as his secretary/administrative assistant, handling scheduling, calls, travel coordination, calendars, and staff logistics. Her central position was that Epstein kept her separated from his criminal life, that she never witnessed abuse, never had a victim disclose abuse to her, and did not knowingly help Epstein or Maxwell commit crimes. She described Epstein as a “master manipulator” who lied to her and kept his “legitimate” world apart from his abuse, while acknowledging that she scheduled massage appointments when Epstein provided names and numbers, sometimes circulated calendars that included those appointments early on, and understood the massages as routine at the time. She said she did not personally meet the massage providers, did not know they were minors or young women, and assumed they were masseuses, even though members pressed her on why an extremely wealthy man would use rotating names and phone numbers instead of a professional massage service. The questioning also focused heavily on Epstein’s network and whether Groff had knowledge of powerful men being provided access to girls or young women through Epstein or Maxwell. Groff repeatedly answered no when asked whether she had arranged massages for prominent figures, knew of sexual activity involving minors or young women, or knew of anyone who knowingly facilitated Epstein’s crimes. She acknowledged scheduling or connecting Epstein with high-profile contacts, including Prince Andrew, Ehud Barak, Larry Summers, George Mitchell, John Kerry, Wesley Clark, Bill Clinton-related circles, and Donald Trump phone calls, but denied arranging Trump travel during her employment and denied knowledge of Trump-related law enforcement communications. She also said she never suspected Epstein or Maxwell of working with any intelligence service. Overall, Groff’s testimony was defensive and narrow: she admitted to being part of the machinery that kept Epstein’s calendar and contacts moving, but insisted she never saw the criminal operation underneath it and never knowingly enabled it. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com source:   Lesley-Groff-Transcript.pdf [https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Lesley-Groff-Transcript.pdf]

Wyden Presses Oversight Committee to Dig Deeper Into Black’s Epstein Ties (7/3/26)

Senator Ron Wyden is pressing for deeper answers about Leon Black’s financial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as congressional scrutiny of Black intensifies. According to the reporting, Wyden’s Senate Finance Committee investigation has focused on why Black transferred an estimated $170 million to Epstein between 2012 and 2017, payments Wyden argues were far larger than what Black paid to established tax and estate-planning professionals already handling his affairs. Wyden has sent his findings to the House Oversight Committee ahead of Black’s congressional appearance, urging investigators to dig harder into financial records, settlement payments, and the movement of money connected to Epstein’s network. The central issue is whether Epstein’s role in Black’s financial life was truly limited to tax and estate advice, as Black has maintained, or whether the money trail points to something broader and more troubling. Wyden has raised questions about whether Epstein acted as an intermediary for payments to women and whether records exist involving settlement agreements. The article also notes Black’s multimillion-dollar settlement with the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which resolved civil claims without Black admitting wrongdoing, as another area now feeding congressional interest. The broader picture is that Black’s Epstein ties are no longer being examined merely as a reputational problem; they are being treated as a financial, legal, and oversight problem that Congress still believes has unanswered questions at its center. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com source: Wyden Presses for Answers as Congressional Scrutiny of Leon Black Deepens [https://www.grantspasstribune.com/wyden-presses-for-answers-as-congressional-scrutiny-of-leon-black-deepens/]

DOJ Refuses to Release More Epstein Files After Court Order (7/3/26)

The Department of Justice declined to provide additional unredacted Epstein-related files after U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the department either to turn over more material or explain why it had been withheld. DOJ Associate U.S. Attorney General Stanley Woodward argued that the redactions were lawful and necessary, saying some materials contained sensitive victim information, personally identifiable details, or records that were already properly withheld under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The DOJ also asked Sullivan to either delay the deadline by 60 days or accept the department’s explanation and disregard the production order. The dispute centers on several categories of withheld material, including emails with concealed senders and recipients, a draft 2007 indictment from the Southern District of Florida, and handwritten interview notes involving a woman who made unsubstantiated assault allegations against Donald Trump, which Trump has denied. DOJ claimed some names were redacted to protect victims, said the draft indictment was already redacted in the original file it possessed, and argued that handwritten notes posed a higher risk of accidental disclosure of victim information. Sullivan had previously rejected DOJ’s arguments and found that the Public Interest Project had shown harm from the withheld records, while the DOJ continues to insist it has not violated the law and has complied with its obligations. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com source: DOJ declines to turn over additional Epstein files, says redactions were appropriate - ABC News [https://abcnews.com/Politics/doj-declines-turn-additional-epstein-files-redactions/story?id=134430675]

The Paper Trail Begins: New Mexico's Epstein Truth Commission Receives Subpoenaed Records (7/3/26)

Subpoenaed records have now begun arriving for New Mexico’s Epstein Truth Commission, marking the point where the investigation moves from public promises and subpoena announcements into actual document review. The commission was created to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s activities at Zorro Ranch near Stanley, New Mexico, and to examine the institutional failures that allowed alleged abuse and trafficking connected to the ranch to go unanswered for decades. The commission has subpoena power, a $2 million budget, and a mandate to look at law enforcement inaction, financial ties, government records, and who may have known about or enabled Epstein’s conduct in New Mexico. The records being sought include material from state agencies, law enforcement, financial institutions, Epstein-linked entities, and organizations with ties to him, including the Santa Fe Institute. Earlier subpoena batches targeted records involving Zorro Ranch, Epstein’s estate, the FBI, DOJ, U.S. Attorney’s offices, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, New Mexico agencies, the governor’s office, the State Land Office, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, and others. The significance is that this could finally force a paper trail into the open: real estate records, police reports, investigative files, correspondence, donations, financial transactions, and communications tied to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. For survivors, the key question is still whether this commission will expose why New Mexico was treated like an afterthought for so long, despite years of allegations surrounding Zorro Ranch. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com source: Subpoenaed materials start flowing to Epstein 'truth commission' | Local News | santafenewmexican.com [https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/subpoenaed-materials-start-flowing-to-epstein-truth-commission/article_89b3e8c4-aa9c-45de-98de-0e6ff86b1f42.html]

The Russian Intelligence Allegations Now Haunting Peter Mandelson (7/3/26)

A leaked dossier known as Project Fish reportedly claims that Lord Peter Mandelson was viewed by Russian intelligence as a “privileged contact” for more than three decades, beginning around the time he served as Labour’s director of communications in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The dossier, reportedly compiled by a former British intelligence officer with knowledge of Russian operations, alleges that Mandelson was considered one of Russia’s most significant influence opportunities inside British politics. The claims are explosive, but the reporting also makes clear that there is no concrete public evidence proving Mandelson acted as a Russian agent or betrayed Britain on Moscow’s behalf. People close to Mandelson have dismissed the allegations as “nonsense” and deny that he ever acted improperly for Russia. The dossier also ties the Russia allegation to Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting that Epstein’s connection to Mandelson may have created leverage or intelligence value for Russian services. That is where the story becomes especially sensitive: Mandelson has already faced scrutiny over his Epstein ties, including separate reporting that he allegedly forwarded confidential UK government information to Epstein during the financial crisis, prompting calls for investigations and questions about his judgment. But the Russia dossier itself appears contested, and critics have raised doubts about its credibility, with one Russia-focused commentator describing the allegations as implausible and resembling “news-cycle adjacent fantasies.” So the heart of the story is not that Mandelson has been proven to be a Russian asset, but that a leaked intelligence-style dossier is now adding another layer of suspicion to an already toxic record of access, judgment, Epstein proximity, and elite political vulnerability. to contact me: bobbycapucci@protonmail.com source: Lord Peter Mandelson is Russia's 'Privilege Contact,' According to Leaked Dossier | IBTimes UK [https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/leaked-dossier-lord-mandelson-russian-intelligence-1806368]