Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee questioned former CEO Les Wexner on Wednesday morning at his home in Ohio as part of their investigation into affiliates of Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire’s former associate.
The relationship between Epstein and Wexner — the founder of L Brands, the former owner of Victoria’s Secret — has been under renewed scrutiny following the release of a 2019 FBI document that listed him as a co-conspirator in the investigation into the late convicted sex offender. Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week that Wexner’s name appears more than 4,000 times in the Epstein files.
Democratic members of the committee expressed frustration after the deposition, saying Wexner said he could not remember answers to many of their questions, including how Epstein obtained hundreds of millions of Wexner’s money.
“In a very real way, Les Wexner gave Epstein credibility to commit some of the crimes that he did,” Rep. Stephen Lynch told reporters. “There is no question in my mind, given the evidence so far, that Les Wexner knew about this and failed to stop it.”
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Five Democratic lawmakers, Reps. Robert Garcia, Jasmine Crockett, Dave Min, Yassamin Ansari and Lynch, traveled to Wexner’s home to take part in the questioning. No Republican members were present, but members of their staff were.
Wexner reportedly told the committee during the closed-door deposition that he was “duped” by Epstein and never witnessed his crimes.
“I was naïve, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man. And while I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” Wexner said in a statement provided to the committee obtained by the Associated Press.
Democrats said before the deposition that they hoped to get a better understanding of how Epstein obtained so much of Wexner’s money and the extent of the relationship between the two men.
“When you talk to survivors, they’ll all share with you that Wexner was at the center of what Jeffrey Epstein was doing. So what Wexner knows and why he gave Epstein so much of his own personal wealth is critical to this investigation,” Garcia said Wednesday on CNN.
Wexner first met Epstein in the 1980s and later granted him power of attorney over his finances. For years, Wexner was Epstein’s primary client. Epstein’s business with the fellow billionaire involved buying and selling significant properties, including a Manhattan townhouse that later became one of Epstein’s most infamous residences.
Wexner has said he cut ties with Epstein in 2007, though emails show they remained in contact in 2008. Wexner has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has never been charged.
“The Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner’s legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect,” a spokesperson for Wexner told The Columbus Dispatch last week. “Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again.”
Wexner is a major donor to Ohio and Republican politics, contributing $250,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2025 and smaller sums to both Ohio Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted.
This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and Signal Ohio.
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