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those prosecutors would have charged him with targeting minors for commercial sex if they had sufficient evidence to support such charges. My communication with Epstein ended in July 2019 after he was indicted for sex trafficking minors. I was shocked by the indictment, which alleged that Epstein had intentionally enticed and recruited minor girls to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for cash. Those horrific allegations, which covered conduct that had occurred almost 10 years before I met Epstein, contradicted what I had understood about the nature and scope of that prior conduct. There has been much media attention around my email communications with Epstein and gifts that he gave me. Many of my emails with Epstein have been taken out of context, or do not mean what some have speculated or suggested. With that said, given what I now know about him, I wish I never would have dealt with him at all, much less emailed with him. With respect to gifts, I didn't ask for them, I didn't need them, and I didn't view them as particularly personal or consequential. I accepted them graciously, as I saw no reason not to, but the gifts weren't important to me, and I declined to accept some of them. In any event, nothing he gave me caused me to deal with him any differently than I otherwise would have. Epstein was a masterful liar, and he clearly lied to me. I can see now that he used me and other respectable people to legitimize his standing, and I know now that he often exaggerated his relationship with me to others. I understand how frustrating and hurtful it must have been for anyone victimized by Epstein to see him going about his life without facing the type of accountability and consequences that he deserved. I am angry that he hurt so many people, and I regret ever having anything to do with him. I look forward to answering the Committee's questions. Mr. Grant. Thank you, Ms. Ruemmler. The time reads 10:23, and the majority's time will begin now. EXAMINATION