Les Wexner to Testify in Ohio Over Epstein Friendship Amid New Revelations
Les Wexner, the billionaire retail magnate, is scheduled for a closed-door congressional deposition in Ohio on Wednesday, where he will face intense questioning about his decades-long friendship with the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. This session follows the recent release of Justice Department documents that shed new light on their complex relationship.
Wexner's Cooperation and Past Denials
According to the AP news agency, Wexner, 88, the retired founder of L Brands, has stated his intention to cooperate fully with a subpoena issued by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. As one of Epstein's most prominent former associates, Wexner has spent years addressing their lengthy connection. In court filings, Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein victim, alleged that Wexner was among the men to whom Epstein trafficked her.
Wexner has consistently denied any knowledge or involvement in Epstein's criminal activities and maintains he never met Giuffre. In 2019, he expressed deep regret to L Brands investors, describing his embarrassment over having been close to someone he called "so sick, so cunning, so depraved." Notably, Wexner has never been formally accused of wrongdoing, and the DOJ documents indicate Epstein did not operate a sex trafficking ring.
Epstein Files and Financial Entanglements
Wexner's name appears over 1,000 times in the Epstein files, a fact his spokesperson attributes to their longstanding association. The documents reveal that Epstein first met Wexner through a business contact around 1986, a period when Wexner was expanding his retail empire from a single Limited store in Columbus into iconic brands like The Limited, Limited Express, Lane Bryant, and Victoria's Secret.
Within a few years, Wexner entrusted Epstein with managing his vast fortune, granting him power of attorney in 1991. This allowed Epstein to handle investments, business deals, and property acquisitions, including the development of the extensive Wexner estate in New Albany, Ohio. The deposition is expected to occur at or near this location, as confirmed by participating lawmakers.
New Insights from Released Documents
The newly released documents include rough notes from Epstein to himself about Wexner, stating: "never ever, did anything without informing les" and "I would never give him up." Another document, an apparent draft letter to Wexner, describes their relationship as having "'gang stuff' for over 15 years," highlighting mutual indebtedness where Wexner helped Epstein become wealthy and Epstein contributed to Wexner's increased riches.
In a 2003 Vanity Fair interview, Wexner praised Epstein for his "excellent judgment and unusually high standards," calling him "always a most loyal friend." However, their friendship ended acrimoniously after Wexner and his wife Abigail discovered Epstein had been stealing from them, raising numerous unresolved questions about their financial and personal dealings.
