Dem
47
GOP
53
On Thursday, Jeffrey Epstein's long-time assistant, Sarah Kellen, told the House Oversight Committee that Epstein wasn't the only one in his circle who preyed upon young girls. She named three new men not previously in the spotlight.
Kellen is herself controversial. Some people believe that she helped recruit girls for Epstein. However, she describes herself as one of Epstein's victims. She told the Committee in graphic detail what Epstein did to her. She said: "He groomed me, sexually and psychologically abused me, controlled me, manipulated me, dominated me, and gaslit me until I could no longer tell which thoughts were mine and which were his." She said he also violently raped her. It is possible, of course, that she was both a victim and a recruiter, possibly recruiting more girls to avoid more violence from Epstein. She didn't leave Epstein, however, because she had no money, no family, no education and nowhere else to go. She noted that some of Epstein's abuse occurred at his ranch in New Mexico. That could open some new leads by trying to see who else went there.
The names of the three men Kellen named have now leaked. They are Frédéric Fekkai, a French celebrity hair stylist; Patrick Demarchelier, a French fashion photographer and Philip Levine, the former mayor of Miami Beach. Kellen said that Fekkai and Levine sexually assaulted her. Demarchelier exposed himself to her. Demarchelier died in 2022, and needless to say, the remaining two men categorically deny everything. Kellen testified that Demarchelier was the one who introduced her to Epstein, whom he described as a scout for Victoria's Secret models.
CNN reviewed the Epstein files that have been released and saw that Fekkai and Levine had ties to Epstein. Demarchelier does not appear in the files. The files reveal that Epstein spent thousands of dollars at Fekkai's salon for himself and others. This is backed up by invoices and credit card statements. The files also show that Fekkai repeatedly asked Epstein for use of one of his apartments and Epstein agreed. Last year, Ghislaine Maxwell told now Acting AG Todd Blanche that Epstein and Fekkai were "friendly, very friendly."
At the very least now, the Oversight Committee (and a possible future Oversight Committee chaired by a Democrat next year) has a number of leads to follow as the scandal grows bigger by the day. Who else might be ensnared? (V)