Comer says Epstein aide named three new abuse suspects to House panel
Sarah Kellen told House investigators she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein for more than a decade, and James Comer said she named three people the panel had never heard of before.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer said Sarah Kellen identified three new people tied to abuse during a closed-door interview on Capitol Hill, adding fresh names to a congressional inquiry already testing the limits of what the federal government knew about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Kellen met with the House Oversight Committee on May 21, 2026, as lawmakers continued their review of how investigations into Epstein and Maxwell were handled. Comer told reporters the session was the committee’s “most substantive and productive interview” to date, and said the three names Kellen provided were all new to the panel and had not come from earlier survivors or Department of Justice records.
Kellen’s prepared opening statement, as described by ABC News, said she was “sexually and psychologically abused” by Epstein for over a decade. The statement said Epstein “groomed” her, “controlled” her, “manipulated” her, “dominated” her and “gaslit” her, a description that underlines why the committee has been struggling to sort victims from enablers and possible witnesses in the case.
Comer signaled before Kellen’s appearance that the interview could be especially consequential, saying it was “going to be the toughest one” yet. He also said he did not know whether Kellen should be viewed as a victim or as someone who helped carry out Epstein’s crimes, and told reporters, “I am here to listen and learn.” NewsNation reported that Kellen was asked about Donald Trump and said she did not know anything about him in connection with Epstein.
The committee’s focus on Kellen follows its broader push that began on March 3, 2026, when Comer sent letters seeking transcribed interviews from seven Epstein-connected figures: Doug Band, Bill Gates, Leon Black, Lesley Groff, Sarah Kellen, Kathryn Ruemmler and Ted Waitt. ABC News reported that Kellen, now 47, had previously been the subject of criminal investigations but was never charged, in part because of her own allegations that Epstein abused her.
Comer said the panel plans to release the transcript of Kellen’s interview as soon as possible. That transcript, along with any follow-up testimony from the newly named individuals, could help determine whether the committee’s inquiry remains centered on institutional failure or moves toward possible individual accountability.
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