Washington — Billionaire retail tycoon Les Wexner, a longtime benefactor of Jeffrey Epstein, told House lawmakers that he was "duped by a world-class con man" and knew nothing of Epstein's crimes, according to his prepared testimony before the House Oversight Committee.
Wexner, who hired Epstein to manage his money, was among members of Epstein's inner circle who were subpoenaed for testimony last month. Members of the Oversight Committee and staff members deposed Wexner behind closed doors in his home state of Ohio on Wednesday.
Wexner, 88, previously led the former parent company of Victoria's Secret and worked with Epstein beginning in the mid-1980s. In his prepared statement, which CBS News obtained, Wexner outlined how he cut ties with Epstein in the aftermath of Epstein's 2006 arrest. Documents show the two men stayed in touch, but Wexner said they never spoke again.
Wexner said he was pleased to testify before the panel Wednesday because it gave him the opportunity to "set the record straight."
"Over the years, I have been the subject of outrageous untrue statements and hurtful rumor, innuendo, and speculation," Wexner said. "Let me state from the start: 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 said he "completely and irrevocably cut ties with Epstein" almost 20 years ago after he learned about his abuse. He said he never witnessed or had knowledge of Epstein's "criminal activity," nor was he a participant or co-conspirator in any illegal activities. Wexner said Epstein "lived a double life," and that "the side of Epstein that he chose to reveal to me was far different from the predator he eventually was exposed to be."
"To my enormous embarrassment and regret I, like many others, was duped by a world-class con man," Wexner said. "I cannot undo that part of my personal history even as I regret ever having met him."
Democrats on the committee held a news conference during the deposition and expressed skepticism about Wexner's testimony. Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts claimed that much of the evidence within the Epstein files points to Wexner's involvement. He argued that Wexner "gave Epstein credibility" and the ability to "commit some of the crimes that he did."
"In an investigation you usually follow the documents and you follow the money, and much of that evidence, and all of that money, leads us to this location," Lynch said.
Lynch said "there was a deep trust between these two men." And while he acknowledged that there may be questions about whether Wexner "was involved in the crimes directly," he said "there is no question in my mind, given the evidence so far, that Les Wexner knew about this and failed to stop it and gave Epstein license and the ability to commit these crimes."
Still, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat, said "we are running into dead ends at this moment" when it comes to following the money. She said once the record of the testimony is released, the public will "most likely be left with more questions than answers."
"It is almost inconceivable to be missing the amounts of money that are missing and somehow Mr. Wexner [had] no idea," Crockett said.
Democratic Rep. Dave Min of California argued that Wexner's claim that he was not aware of Epstein's abuse is "just not credible."
"I realize he's an elderly gentleman, memories fade," Min said. "But the reputation of Jeffrey Epstein is very clear. Everyone around Jeffrey Epstein knew exactly what he was up to."
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee, said there were no Republican members of Congress at the deposition, though he said there were GOP staff members.
The deposition came after the Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of files related to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Last week, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who was among the lawmakers who led the push to force the release of the files, pointed to a 2019 FBI document that was initially redacted and referred to Wexner as a "co-conspirator."
Massie questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about the redaction days later when she testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Bondi said that the Justice Department unredacted Wexner's name within 40 minutes of Massie raising the issue. She also said she believes Wexner's name was listed more than 4,000 times in the documents.
Wexner has not been charged with a crime and has long said he cut ties with Epstein after his crimes were made public. A legal representative for Wexner told CBS News that a federal prosecutor told Wexner's legal counsel that he was being viewed as a "source of information about Epstein and was not a target in any respect."
"Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again," the representative said.
Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein's, testified before the panel last week. She invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions.
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