Billionaire retail executive Les Wexner appeared for a closed-door congressional deposition in Ohio on Wednesday, answering questions about his decades-long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The session, led by the House Oversight Committee, follows the Justice Department’s release of millions of additional records tied to Epstein. The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Wexner after his name was discovered in the files on the investigation of Epstein.
Lawmakers from both parties have sought Wexner’s testimony amid renewed focus on financial ties that helped fuel Epstein’s wealth and influence. Rep. Robert Garcia, the panel’s top Democrat, said ahead of the deposition that investigators have “a lot of questions” about how Epstein amassed his fortune and what Wexner may have known. Garcia has argued that no individual played a larger role in providing Epstein access to money.
The committee’s inquiry intensified after Rep. Thomas Massie raised concerns about a once-redacted FBI document that referred to Wexner as a “co-conspirator.” Attorney General Pam Bondi later said the Justice Department restored Wexner’s name shortly after the issue was flagged and noted that he appears thousands of times throughout the files. A 2019 FBI memo described him as a “secondary” co-conspirator but added, “There is limited evidence regarding his involvement.”
Epstein began advising Wexner in the late 1980s and was for years his only publicly known client. Wexner, 88, granted him sweeping authority over financial decisions, including power of attorney, to manage investments and transactions. Wexner has said he provided similar authority to other advisers and did not anticipate abuse of that trust.
Wexner has not been charged with any crime. The billionaire said he ended the relationship with Epstein nearly two decades ago, revoking Epstein’s power of attorney in 2007 and cutting ties after learning of financial misconduct and later criminal charges. Although records show the two exchanged emails in 2008 after Epstein’s plea deal in Florida, Wexner’s representatives say the professional relationship had already been terminated and that Epstein repaid at least $100 million he had taken.
Through attorneys and public statements, Wexner has maintained that he was misled by Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal conduct. In remarks submitted before the deposition, Wexner said, “I was naïve, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein,” calling him a “master manipulator” who “lived a double life.” He added that any wrongdoing was “most carefully and fully hid from me” and insisted, “Again, to be clear, I never saw or heard about Epstein being in the company of a minor girl.”
Wexner’s foundation expressed sympathy for those harmed, stating it holds “in our hearts the survivors of Epstein’s horrific crimes.” Meanwhile, fallout from the revelations has reached beyond Congress. Some Ohio State University alumni are seeking to remove Wexner’s name from a campus facility, citing his past association with Epstein. Wexner previously served on the university’s board during the years when former team doctor Richard Strauss committed abuse, though Wexner has not been accused of wrongdoing in that matter.
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