Les Wexner Faces Questioning About His Ties To Jeffrey Epstein

Описание: The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has had strong ties to central Ohio. This week, the congressional investigation into Epstein’s associates came to New Albany. Billionaire and L Brands founder Les Wexner gave a deposition to the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

Wexner answered questions from members of the committee for about five hours about how much he knew about the sex offender and what role he may have played in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking.

Before the session began, Wexner submitted a long statement in which he said, “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’s name appears in the Epstein files thousands of times. They had a long relationship. Epstein controlled Wexner’s money for years. Wexner says Epstein stole from him. During the deposition, Wexner maintained his relationship with Epstein was strictly business.

That statement seems to run counter to images in the Epstein files. The five Democratic members of the committee who sat in on the deposition said Wexner’s explanations were not credible.

Our panel also looks at how some politicians are distancing themselves from Les Wexner, the tax positions of the candidates for Ohio governor Democrat Dr. Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and how the Trump administration is boosting goal and natural gas generated power in Ohio.

This Week’s Panel​​​
Jessie Balmert, reporter with The USA Today Ohio Network
Sarah Donaldson, reporter with Ohio Public Radio
Bob Clegg, Republican strategist
Stanley Gates, Democratic strategist

Thumbnail Image
Ohio billionaire Les Wexner was questioned by U.S. House members and staff on February 18, 2026. The U.S. House Oversight Committee released a video of the deposition the following day.

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Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:18 - Les Wexner Goes Under Oath
07:42 - Politicians Separate From Wexner
14:49 - Ohio Governor's Race and Taxes
20:54 - Trump Boosts Coal and Gas In Ohio
24:07 - Off The Record comments