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Republican lawmakers person asked nan Department of Justice to analyse intersexual battle allegations involving 2 men made by Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant.
In a transcribed closed-door interview successful precocious May, arsenic portion of a legislature investigation into Epstein, Sarah Kellen, 1 of nan precocious activity offender’s erstwhile aides, told nan House oversight and betterment committee she was “sexually and psychologically abused” by him during her employment – but besides alleged she was sexually assaulted by nan French personage hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai, and by Philip Levine, nan erstwhile politician of Miami Beach, successful abstracted incidents successful nan early 2000s.
Hundreds of people, including dozens powerful and salient figures, person been linked to Epstein, and named successful files released by nan justness department, pinch nary grounds of wrongdoing. James Comer, nan Republican who chairs nan oversight panel, and 4 different Republican lawmakers, said Fekkai and Levine are nan “first names of alleged criminal conduct” nan committee has referred to nan section amid nan panel’s investigation into Epstein.
Epstein died successful a Manhattan jailhouse successful 2019, while awaiting proceedings connected federal sex-trafficking charges.
The lawmakers announced connected Thursday that they sent a letter to Todd Blanche, nan acting lawyer general, asking nan justness section to “use each disposable tools, including immunity for definite witnesses, to analyse nan allegations against, and immoderate different criminal behaviour committed by, Philip Levine and Frédéric Fekkai”.
Neither Fekkai nor Levine person been charged pinch immoderate crime related to Epstein. Both person denied immoderate wrongdoing.
“Kellen provided caller accusation important to our investigation that is helping to bring transparency for nan American group and accountability for survivors,” said Comer. “During her transcribed interview, nan oversight committee received superior allegations of criminal misconduct involving 2 individuals.”
“The oversight committee is not a rule enforcement entity, and our domiciled is not to find guilt aliases innocence. We are referring these allegations to nan Department of Justice, which has nan devices to analyse criminal misconduct. We will proceed to travel nan facts and guarantee accountability for survivors.”
In nan missive to Blanche, lawmakers said Levine’s sanction appears “over 600 times” successful nan Epstein files released by nan justness section earlier this year, “including successful nonstop correspondence” pinch Epstein and his long-time associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year situation condemnation for sex-trafficking crimes.
The lawmakers besides alleged that Fekkai “was a adjacent friend” of Epstein who “played a domiciled successful his grooming schemes by routinely providing salon services to women astatine Mr Epstein’s instruction”.
A typical for Fekkai did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from nan Guardian, but told CNN that Fekkai “never ‘took advantage’” of Kellen and that “he did not present her to Jeffrey Epstein”.
The typical besides told CNN that Fekkai had not done thing wrong, and specified that “Mr Fekkai ne'er assaulted anyone”.
“Mr Fekkai was astonished to publication of Ms. Kellen’s testimony,” nan spokesperson said. “Mr Fekkai ne'er abused anyone. He ne'er participated successful immoderate forbidden behavior. He knew thing astir Epstein’s repugnant depravity aliases trafficking. He did thing wrong.”
Levine besides did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from nan Guardian, but a spokesperson for Levine told CNN that “nearly a quarter-century ago, our customer had a little friendly brushwood pinch different consenting adult”, and that “any allegation suggesting different is not true”.
In February, aft nan justness section released millions of Epstein-related files, Levine told WLRN that he only met Epstein a fewer times, and was not adjacent pinch him.
“As I person stated previously, my only relationship to Jeffrey Epstein arose solely done my erstwhile relationship pinch Ghislaine Maxwell,” Levine said successful February. “I met Epstein only a fewer times. I ne'er conducted business pinch him, ne'er visited his land and ne'er flew connected his aircraft. I regret ever gathering him.”
Kellen worked for Epstein arsenic a individual adjunct for much than 10 years, opening successful astir 2001. She has faced nationalist scrutiny since it emerged that she was named arsenic 1 of nan four women listed arsenic imaginable “co-conspirators” successful Epstein’s arguable 2007 plea deal. But she has many times denied wrongdoing, and has described herself arsenic a unfortunate of Epstein’s abuse, telling lawmakers past period that she “worked for, and was sexually and psychologically abused by, Jeffrey Epstein for complete a decade”.
“He groomed me, sexually and psychologically abused me, controlled me, manipulated me, dominated me, and gaslit maine until I could nary longer show which thoughts were excavation and which were his,” she said.
The missive from nan Republican lawmakers besides states that Kellen besides said she was ne'er contacted by federal, state, local, aliases overseas rule enforcement aliases by immoderate authorities authority from nan clip she began moving for Epstein successful 2000 aliases 2001 until July 2019, erstwhile Epstein was charged pinch federal sex-trafficking offenses.
“As portion of its investigation into nan alleged mismanagement of nan national government’s handling of nan Epstein and Maxwell matters, nan committee seeks to understand why Ms Kellen was not interviewed aliases different contacted during that period,” nan missive adds.
In summation to Comer, nan missive was besides signed by Republican representatives Lauren Boebert, William Timmons, Clay Higgins and Andy Biggs.
