A group of Democrats from the U.S. House Oversight Committee speak to the press in Ohio. (Photo: WEWS.)
Following Wexner’s testimony Wednesday, House Democrats charged Central Ohio retail billionaire Les Wexner with facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking ring.
Wexner denied any wrongdoing. You can read Wexner’s full statement here.
Wexner, who lives in New Albany, Ohio, founded LBrands, which created Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and Abercrombie & Fitch. Members of Congress went to his residence to question him about his long-standing business relationship and friendship with Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender.
During Wednesday’s break, Democrats spoke to the press outside.
“There is no person more committed to providing Jeffrey Epstein with financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner,” said Robert Garcia, ranking member of the California Oversight Committee.
In a statement to Congress, Wexner said he met Epstein as a financial adviser in the 1980s and hired him. He also admitted that he visited Epstein’s island.
Democrats explained that he claimed to have “walked with his family” for an hour.
“This community deserves to know why the most powerful man and one of the richest men, if not the richest man in Ohio, gave so much of his wealth to the greatest modern-day sex trafficking ring in American history, why his money was used to traffic, exploit and rape women and children,” Garcia said.
They claim Democrats don’t believe Wexner.
Their investigation found that Wexner financed much of Epstein’s life, including paying him $1 billion.
Epstein lived in his home and used his yachts and planes, said U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Arizona. But Wexner claims he doesn’t remember.
“It’s almost unheard of to overlook missing amounts of money and for some reason Mr. Wexner has no idea about it,” said U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas.
In his letter, Wexner claimed that he had been defrauded by his former confidant.
“I was naive, stupid and gullible to trust Jeffrey Epstein,” Wexner wrote. “He was a fraud. And when I was deceived, I did nothing wrong and have nothing to hide. I completely and irrevocably severed ties with Epstein almost twenty years ago when I learned that he was an abuser, a fraud and a liar.”
One survivor, however, said she was attacked in Wexner’s home, said U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass.
“I want Americans, but more specifically, I want survivors and anyone struggling right now to know that we see you, we feel you, and we are fighting for you,” Crockett said. “We won’t stop.”
Despite this, Wexner stated that he “never witnessed or had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.”
“In my opinion, there is no doubt that there was a connection and that Mr. Wexler is very conscious and probably aware of what is going on,” Garcia said.
The Republican voice was conspicuously absent from the testimony. Democrats said no GOP members showed up, only staffers.
Ohio Statehouse Republicans are waiting for the investigation to be completed.
“It was terrible stuff; it kind of shows what happens when, in the bigger picture, there’s groupthink and people turn away in a particular situation,” said House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima. “But we’ll see what ultimately comes out of the testimony.”
In Washington, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi downplayed the Epstein file.
“The Dow is currently over 50,000. The S&P is almost 7,000 and the Nasdaq is breaking records. Americans’ 401k and retirement savings are growing. This is what we should be talking about,” Bondi said.
President Donald Trump, who was the first to call the files a “hoax,” has avoided talking to the press about the matter.
Democrats accused Trump of participating in a “cover-up,” and Crockett explained that Wexner “didn’t quite remember” that Trump was in the same room as Epstein.
“Trump actually showed up at Victoria’s Secret fashion shows,” Crockett continued.
Wexner said he found it “weird” because Trump “wasn’t into fashion.”
“Look, I think so. My first answer is yes, this statement absolutely matters and it’s important to get… remember, Mr. Wexner is under an oath to tell the truth. So every answer he gives is a broader part of our investigation. This is just the beginning of our work to find out the truth about Mr. Wexler, so it’s absolutely important,” Garcia said.
Asked what will happen if the Justice Department does nothing, Garcia said it’s up to President Trump.
“We are putting pressure on,” Garcia said.
While Wexner maintains his innocence, both federal and state lawmakers continue to distance themselves from him.
Over the past few weeks, politicians have begun to donate money given to them by Wexner.
Ohio Republican Mike Carey said he has donated to organizations aimed at preventing people from being tracked.
Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague said he made the donation to an organization that helps women and children struggling with homelessness.
State Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester, said she donated her funds to charities that lend a hand combat food insecurity.
Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted’s team said it would donate, but did not indicate where.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau X AND Facebook.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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