Leslie Wexner Says Epstein ‘Conned’ Him, but Democrats Are Skeptical

Leslie Wexner, the 88-year-old founder of Victoria’s Secret, testified Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a closed-door deposition regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, with Democratic lawmakers immediately challenging the credibility of his testimony.¹

The deposition took place in New Albany, Ohio, where Wexner lives, but no Republican members of the committee attended in person.² Democrats said the session was led by committee staff, while Republicans were absent.²

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the Oversight Committee’s ranking Democrat, told reporters midway through the deposition: “[Wexner] denied everything, and quite frankly, it would have been nice to see more remorse.”²

Wexner’s Defense: Claims of Being ‘Conned’

During his testimony, Wexner accused Epstein of stealing “vast sums” of money from his family and characterized himself as “naive.”⁵ The billionaire retail tycoon described Epstein as “a world-class con man” and claimed he had been “duped” by his former financial adviser.⁶

Wexner has spent years answering questions about his decadeslong association with Epstein, who served as his financial manager for years before their relationship ended.⁶ The Victoria’s Secret founder maintained he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities and portrayed himself as a victim of financial manipulation.¹

House Democrats said Wexner “downplayed his relationship” with Epstein and “provided few new details” during the testimony.² The New York Times reported that Democrats said his answers were “not credible.”¹

Status in Epstein Files

Wexner is named in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department as a “co-conspirator,” though he has not been charged with a crime and has denied any wrongdoing.²

Garcia and other committee Democrats characterized Wexner’s testimony as evasive, according to Axios.² The House Oversight Committee has been conducting depositions with multiple figures named in the released Epstein files as part of its investigation.

Partisan Divide in Deposition

The absence of Republican members from the physical deposition drew attention, with Democrats noting no GOP lawmakers were present.² Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) did not attend the session.²

A source familiar with the matter noted that Democrats did not attend a scheduled deposition of the Clintons on Capitol Hill in January, pointing to a pattern of partisan participation in different depositions.²

The deposition in New Albany, Ohio, rather than on Capitol Hill, represented an accommodation for Wexner’s location. The decision to conduct the testimony remotely from Washington allowed committee staff to lead the questioning while members participated as available.²

Garcia made his comments to reporters midway through the deposition, before the session had concluded.² The New York Times reported that Democrats found the eight-hour session unproductive, saying Wexner’s answers were “not credible.”¹

References

1. New York Times — “Leslie Wexner Says Epstein ‘Conned’ Him, but Democrats Are Skeptical”
2. Axios — “‘Denied everything’: Dems blast Wexner for downplaying Epstein ties”
3. CBS News — “Billionaire Les Wexner to testify before key House committee as part of Epstein probe”
4. BBC News — “Billionaire Lex Wexner tells US lawmakers he was ‘naive’ and ‘conned’ by Epstein”
5. Courthouse News — “Billionaire Les Wexner says he was ‘duped’ by adviser Jeffrey Epstein, ‘a world-class con man’”