Leslie Wexner denies having a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.Image: keystone
Democrats in the US Congress have expressed doubts about statements by billionaire Leslie Wexner that he had no relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
02/19/2026, 04:4102/19/2026, 04:41
“I don’t believe Mr. Wexner when he says he had no personal or friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,” said Robert Garcia, the top official on the oversight committee.
Instead, one should listen to the victims who reported a direct connection between Epstein and Wexner. Garcia spoke of more than a billion dollars that the entrepreneur is said to have either transferred or given to Epstein. According to Garcia, however, Wexner claims to have been unaware of much of the money.
A group of Democrats went to New Albany, Ohio, to speak with the former entrepreneur under oath. Garcia was surprised that Wexner was not supposed to have been friends with Epstein, even though he also admitted to having been on both of the sex offender’s islands.
Media quotes Wexner: was naive and gullible
According to media reports, Wexner stated in a statement to the supervisory board that he had fallen for Epstein. “I was naive, foolish and gullible to trust Jeffrey Epstein,” the US broadcaster CNBC and the New York Times quoted from the document. «He was a fraud. And even though I was cheated, I did nothing wrong and nothing to hide,” it continues.
The now 88-year-old had made numerous US brands big with his group L Brands, including Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and Abercrombie & Fitch. (sda/dpa)