All posts tagged: Wexner

Citing Epstein Ties, Wexner Union Calls for Art Center be Renamed

Citing Epstein Ties, Wexner Union Calls for Art Center be Renamed

Published by Jenni Sidey

Members of the Wexner Center for the Arts union have called on university leadership to rename the institution, citing Leslie Wexner’s documented ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Wexner Workers United announced on social media yesterday that it had sent a formal letter to Ohio State University president, provost, and board of trustees demanding that they remove the Wexner name from the building’s facade and begin the process of renaming the Wexner Center for the Arts. Related Articles “As a contemporary arts center showcasing and commissioning the work of our present time, we are inherently entwined with the relevant and urgent events of today,” the letter reads. “Jeffrey Epstein’s orchestration of a high-profile sex-trafficking operation has long been established, and Les Wexner’s name appears more than 1,300 times in the Department of Justice’s Epstein files.” In the letter—posted in full on Instagram—the union argues that Wexner’s connection to Epstein meets the university’s criteria for requesting a building name change, citing “substantial evidence of misconduct or other inappropriate behavior by the individual or entity.” Furthermore, …

Jeffrey Epstein ties spur Wexner Foundation alums to start survivor fund

Jeffrey Epstein ties spur Wexner Foundation alums to start survivor fund

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Rachel Faulkner was working at a Jewish nonprofit that advocates for gender equity when she was selected for a prestigious, three-year professional development fellowship through the Wexner Foundation. Established by retail billionaire Leslie Wexner, the foundation headquartered in New Albany, Ohio, had been highly regarded for its competitive and rigorous fellowships that train midcareer Jewish leaders, both clergy and lay. Faulkner said she had heard that Wexner had ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who once was Wexner’s financial manager, when she accepted the fellowship in 2022. But she was not aware of the extent of the two men’s collaboration. Especially after Wexner’s congressional testimony in February on the heels of the Epstein files’ release, she said, she has now felt the need to distance herself from the foundation and to make amends for her association with Wexner’s foundation. Earlier this month, Faulkner and a handful of other Wexner alumni launched a fund to help survivors of sexual violence and exploitation. The Ashru Fund’s first goal is to raise $100,000 for two nonprofits …

The Epstein saga engulfs Les Wexner — and the Ohio he helped build

The Epstein saga engulfs Les Wexner — and the Ohio he helped build

Published by Sam Flores

NEW ALBANY, Ohio — Around the time he began taking financial advice from Jeffrey Epstein, Ohio’s richest man made a fateful investment. It was 1990, and Leslie Wexner, whose retail clothing empire included brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret, put $100,000 behind Republican George Voinovich’s successful campaign for governor. The contributions opened doors that Wexner had sometimes struggled to walk through while attempting to translate his philanthropy and success in business into civic and political power in his home state. Aided by his new friends in the Voinovich administration, Wexner developed this once-small town into an exurban enclave around his mansion. Helped along by a state-funded highway interchange, he built an upscale Columbus shopping mall anchored by his stores. “George used to say, ‘We need to do more with less,’” said a longtime Republican operative and Voinovich ally, recalling the late governor’s reputation for frugality. “We used to say that was a double entendre: ‘Do more for Les.’” Wexner’s relationship with Voinovich also planted the seeds for a coalition of CEOs that is …

Epstein would ‘name drop’ Trump, Les Wexner says in deposition video

Epstein would ‘name drop’ Trump, Les Wexner says in deposition video

Published by Sam Flores

Les Wexner speaks during a deposition about Jeffrey Epstein. Courtesy: GOP Oversight via YouTube Jeffrey Epstein would “name drop” President Donald Trump as one of the many high-profile people he claimed to know, billionaire retail magnate Leslie Wexner said this week in a congressional deposition about the notorious sex offender. The 88-year-old Wexner, who was one of Epstein’s top clients and benefactors, said Epstein “held [Trump] out as a friend,” according to a video of the deposition that House Democrats released Thursday. But Wexner, the retired founder of Victoria’s Secret ex-parent L Brands, said he did not believe Trump and Epstein were actually friends. And he denied seeing or hearing anything about Trump having a sexual relationship with someone introduced to him by Epstein or his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. He also told lawmakers that both Trump and Epstein would sometimes be at the lingerie company’s fashion shows — though he suggested it was a “coincidence” and that he can’t recall “something … that would put them together.” “I remember because Trump would always introduce himself to …

In Deposition, Billionaire Les Wexner Claims He Was ‘Conned’ by Epstein

In Deposition, Billionaire Les Wexner Claims He Was ‘Conned’ by Epstein

Published by Jenni Sidey

Les Wexner, the billionaire founder of L Brands and a major art collector, gave testimony to the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, in a closed door deposition from his home in New Albany, Ohio. In an opening statement to the House Oversight Committee, which is conducting an investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein case, Wexner said he had been “naive, foolish, and gullible” for trusting Epstein. “I was naive, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man,” Wexner said in a prepared statement that was made available to media. “While I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide.” Related Articles While Wexner’s testimony was not made public, Democratic lawmakers said that the 88-year-old retail magnate provided few new details and said that he could not remember key events. Primarily, he denied wrongdoing and said he had never witnessed or had knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct. He also rejected claims that he had sexual contact with Epstein victims. The deposition comes several months after …

Wexner Says He Was ‘Conned’ By Epstein, Did ‘Nothing Wrong’

Wexner Says He Was ‘Conned’ By Epstein, Did ‘Nothing Wrong’

Published by Jenni Sidey

After what must have been quite the prep session with lawyers, billionaire Les Wexner – who gave Jeffrey Epstein “about a billion dollars” in cash and assets – testified to the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday that he was “conned” by Epstein, and denied any wrongdoing. Les Wexner denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes during testimony to House lawmakers.House Oversight and Government Reform Committee In a prepared statement, the 88-year-old former L Brands (which owned Victoria’s Secret) CEO 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. I completely and irrevocably cut ties with Epstein nearly twenty years ago when I learned that he was an abuser, a crook, and a liar. … And, let me be crystal clear: I never witnessed nor had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity. I was never a participant nor coconspirator in any of Epstein’s …

Les Wexner congressional deposition underway

Les Wexner congressional deposition underway

Published by Sam Flores

This Sept. 19, 2014 file photo shows retail mogul Leslie Wexner, at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. Wexner is severing his last ties with the retail empire that he founded in 1963. Jay LaPrete | AP Billionaire Leslie Wexner said during a congressional deposition Wednesday that he had virtually no social relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — but the House Oversight Committee’s top-ranking Democrat called that claim “bogus.” “I do not believe when Mr. Wexner says that he did not have a personal relationship or a friendly relationship” with the notorious sex offender, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., told reporters in Ohio during a break in the closed-door proceedings. Garcia also sharply criticized the Department of Justice after hearing from Wexner that he has not been contacted by the FBI on Epstein-related matters. “What the hell is going on? That is shameful,” Garcia said. The deposition of the 88-year-old retail billionaire, which resumed after the break, is occurring weeks after the DOJ released millions of additional files revealing new links between Epstein and …

Massie Exposes Les Wexner As Epstein Co-Conspirator, Opening Door To Criminal Charges Against Kash Patel

Massie Exposes Les Wexner As Epstein Co-Conspirator, Opening Door To Criminal Charges Against Kash Patel

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by blueapples, Although President Donald J. Trump has amplified his attacks against Kentucky representative Thomas Massie on the basis of deluded claims that he is a radical, un-American liberal who is hellbent on sabotaging his administration, it is the congressman’s continued crusade to expose the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein that shows the actual threat he poses to Trump. The latest development in the Epstein Files fallout has clearly proven that the Trump administration’s best attempts to continue to cover up the crimes of Epstein and his accomplices are no match for Massie’s vigilance. After granting members of Congress access to view unredacted versions of the Epstein Files in response to the pressure mounted by Massie, the revelations therein have shown the lengths that the Trump Department of Justice (”DOJ”) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (”FBI”) have taken to continue the Epstein cover-up, going as far as to break federal law in an increasingly futile attempt to keep the truth from the American public. The enhanced political pressure from Massie and California representative Ro Khanna …

Leslie Wexner Denies Being Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Co-Conspirator’

Leslie Wexner Denies Being Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Co-Conspirator’

Published by José Betancourt

A recently released set of files related to Jeffrey Epstein implied that the convicted sex criminal’s ties to collector Leslie Wexner ran deeper than some previously thought, placing new scrutiny on the former Victoria’s Secret CEO. One email from an FBI official that was released to the public this week referred to potential “co-conspirators” who had worked with Epstein. While the email was heavily redacted, like other files released by the Department of Justice on December 23, the message clearly refers to Wexner, the namesake collector behind the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. Related Articles Epstein and Wexner’s professional relationship is well-documented. Epstein managed Wexner’s finances and even acted as a trustee to the businessman’s foundation. According to the New York Times, Epstein at one point owned a home near Wexner’s estate. But some have claimed that Wexner may have been aware of Epstein’s crimes. In her memoir, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, mentioned Wexner and urged readers not to “be fooled by those… who say they didn’t know.” Speaking …