Les Wexner tells Congress he was “duped” by Jeffrey Epstein

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Billionaire Les Wexner told members of Congress he was “duped by a world-class con man” and described Jeffrey Epstein as a close adviser who conned him, while denying knowledge of crimes or participation in abuse. Speaking during an interview with the House Oversight and Reform Committee, the 88-year-old retired founder of L Brands said in a statement released before the hearing that he had been “naive, foolish, and gullible” to put any trust in Epstein, and he said he had “nothing to hide.”

Wexner’s appearance came after Democrats on the panel subpoenaed him amid a new Justice Department release of Epstein-related documents that, the committee’s interview context said, revealed additional details about his relationship with the financier. The accounting and legal pressure placed on former associates of Epstein has increased as the government has made more material available, and Wexner sought to use the proceeding to “set the record straight,” according to the statement.

Ranking member Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said Wexner “answered every question asked of him” during the approximately 6-hour proceeding. Rep. Robert Garcia, a California Democrat who sat in on the interview, told reporters that he remained skeptical of Wexner’s characterization of their ties, saying there was “no single person that was more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner.”

In response to accusations raised in court materials by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, Wexner told the lawmakers he remained devoted to his wife of 33 years, Abigail, and he said he had never been unfaithful. Wexner’s testimony also addressed the broader issue of what he knew about Epstein’s conduct, with Wexner saying he had never participated in Epstein’s abuse and that he had not known about Epstein’s crimes.

The reporting around the hearing also highlighted internal contradictions that lawmakers and document releases have emphasized in the broader Epstein case: Wexner said he and Epstein’s relationship ended bitterly in 2007 after, the statement said, the Wexners discovered Epstein was stealing. But the same Justice Department document releases referenced in the coverage indicated the two were in touch after that date, including an email from June 26, 2008, after a plea deal was announced that required Epstein to serve time for a state charge.

Wexner told members of Congress he gave Epstein power of attorney in 1991, describing it as part of how Epstein was able to manage investments, conduct business deals, purchase property, and help Wexner as the businessman developed New Albany into a Columbus suburb. Wexner said in the statement that he turned over management of his vast fortune to Epstein only several years after first trusting him, describing Epstein as a “master manipulator” who connived to gain his trust.

The hearing context described Epstein as having moved among wealthy circles and having used those connections, and Wexner said he did not circulate in Epstein’s social circle but often heard accounts of his encounters with other wealthy people. Wexner said he visited Epstein’s island only once, describing a brief stop for a few hours one morning with his wife and young children while they were cruising on their boat.

Other documents referenced in the report included rough notes sent to himself by Epstein about Wexner and an apparent draft letter suggesting the pair had a long-running personal and financial bond. Wexner’s spokesperson characterized at least one item as never received by Wexner, describing it as part of what the spokesperson called “a pattern of untrue, outlandish, and delusional statements” by Epstein.

Wexner also discussed what he said was Epstein’s presentation to clients, saying Epstein “lived a double life” and “most carefully and fully” hid what he described as misdeeds involving underage girls. Separately, the hearing coverage recounted accounts from multiple women included in previously released testimony, including a claim that Epstein used his ties to Wexner to suggest job access and a claim that one woman reported Epstein to police in 1997 after an alleged groping during what she believed was a modeling interview.

In the broader fallout described alongside Wexner’s testimony, survivors and institutions have pressed for changes tied to his association with Epstein. The report said one survivor, Maria Farmer, told reporters that a redacted FBI report contained in the document release vindicated her longstanding claim that she filed one of the earliest complaints against Epstein while she was working on an art project at the Wexners’ estate, and it said survivors of a sexual abuse scandal at Ohio State University have cited Wexner’s ties to Epstein in efforts to remove his name from campus facilities. The report also said university nurses have sought removal of his name from the Wexner Medical Center.

The Associated Press report said Wexner did not publicly reveal until after Epstein’s July 2019 federal arrest that he had severed their relationship. In his statement to the committee, Wexner reiterated that their break occurred in 2007, while document releases referenced in the coverage indicated continued contact after that date.