Les Wexner Donates $250k to RGA, Showing Epstein's Former Associate Has Not Been Cast From Elite Society
The Epstein matter apparently came at the disgust of many, and yet one of the people most associated with him maintains close ties via political contributions, only raising more questions.
Leslie Wexner made his fortune by founding L Brands and acquiring labels like Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch to become one of the wealthiest and well known businesspeople in 1980's America. In addition to becoming a widely recognized business tycoon, however, that decade also found Wexner begin his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
That relationship was so close that Epstein became Wexner's financial manager in 1987, was granted the power of attorney—which gave Epstein the authorization to represent or act on Wexner's behalf in business, legal, and personal matters—in 1991, and was given the $56 million Herbert N. Straus mansion in Manhattan's Upper East Side in 1995 that Wexner purchased just years before.
Through their relationship, Epstein amassed loads of money and began abusing his connection to or roles within Wexner's business operations.
While still very much in Wexner's orbit in the 1990s, two claims of sexual assault were made against Epstein.
The first was said to have occurred in 1996 at Wexner's compound in Ohio where Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell assaulted artist Maria Farmer who was being employed at the property. According to an affidavit she filed, Farmer was assaulted by Epstein which caused her to flee to another room where she was trapped for 12 hours until Wexner's security staff finally let her go. Wexner and his wife maintain they have no recollection of ever hearing of Farmer prior to the accusation.
Within a year of that instance, actress Alicia Arden was assaulted by Epstein after he had falsely presented himself as a recruiter for Victoria's Secret. Arden went to Epstein's hotel room under the assumption this was an opportunity for her at the lingerie brand. However, she was offered nothing but Epstein's grotesque show of force. Arden fled and went to the police the next day. A week after that, with the matter consuming her, she filed a formal report that The New York Times verified as perhaps the earliest documented account of allegations of sexual assault made against Epstein.
The key to this story, as is found in The Times' piece, was that Wexner was alerted to this and did nothing. In between the two aforementioned assaults, two senior executives alerted Wexner to what Epstein was up to— that he was posing as a Victoria's Secret recruiter. Made aware of Epstein's devious actions, Wexner promised to take action. But whatever action was taken, if there actually was any, is still unknown. And sadly, after the heads up from the executives, Arden and other women were put directly in danger.
About a decade later, in 2006, Epstein was arrested in Florida on charges of unlawful sex acts with a minor. He was eventually given the famous sweetheart deal by U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta. And about a decade after that, when being questioned as the nominee for Labor Secretary in 2007, maybe the strangest thing occurred when Acosta notably said of the Epstein case in Miami that he "was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone."
As The Times noted, it was 18 months after that 2006 indictment that Wexner cut ties with Epstein.
When Epstein was arrested again and mysteriously died, Wexner addressed the situation in writing to his Wexner Foundation, saying that Epstein had "misappropriated vast sums of money." He elaborated no more than that, merely claiming to be horrified that somebody he employed long ago could hurt so many people and that he "was NEVER aware of the illegal activity charged in the [2019] indictment."
With such shady and extensive connections to Jeffrey Epstein, any average denizen would assume that Wexner would be barred completely from elite society. However, as a Politico report from this week shows, that is certainly not the case.
As it turns out, Ohio Republicans are more than happy to take money from Wexner, who is the most powerful GOP donor in the state.
Last month, roughly two years after stepping down from L Brands, Les Wexner gave $250,000 to the Republican Governor's Alliance, his first six-figure contribution since 2018 when he gave the same amount to the RGA. Overall, his contributions became more scant following Epstein's 2019 arrest.
An anti-Trump Republican who left the party midway through the previous administration, Wexner donated to Ohio's GOP candidates like Sen. Rob Portman and Rep. Steve Stivers in 2018.
According to Politico, since 2017, Wexner and his wife have contributed, either personally or through the Wexner Foundation PAC, about $60,000 to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, including a donation of the maximum $26,500 in 2020.
DeWine is facing a May primary challenge from former Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci, who notably got Donald Trump's endorsement when he ran an unsuccessful Senate campaign in 2020. As of now, Trump has not endorsed either candidate in Ohio's gubernatorial race.
This is an outrage. Given all the well-documented ties to Epstein, the fact that anyone would consider taking Les Wexner's money is abhorrent, and it goes to show that this country's most powerful individuals care not for the values they claim to uphold.
The Republicans, as they so often do, show themselves as real hypocrites here. One of the biggest partisan divides to infest the Epstein situation is the tendency for liberals to point to pictures of Epstein and Trump, and conservatives to point to pictures of Epstein and Bill Clinton. The problem with that divide is there should be no division— they're both right in demanding answers. But if one side of the partisan divide can't even hold themselves accountable, then what does that say?
Just a couple months ago, Epstein's partner in crime Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on five of six charges pertaining to sex trafficking. While Maxwell was deservedly punished, the prosecution was narrow enough to slip through any keyhole as redactions remained and evidence was ignored. It amounted to practically nothing in the wide public consciousness, and if it did, it was likely forgotten beneath the layers upon layers of endless information hurled everyone's way in this day in age.
By taking this money, it is refusing to hold Wexner accountable for his ties to Epstein, for his refusal to take action against Epstein despite warnings from executives in a grand story that is still shrouded in question marks. Taking this money normalizes the reintegration into elite society the most despicable and disgusting individuals, and threatens to never hold responsible anyone who worked with or knew of Epstein's workings. Any chance to uncover the truth is degraded by taking this as just another political contribution.
Since Wexner is clearly not the pariah he should be among the country's most powerful, the risk of this whole shady matter to be continually swept beneath the rug grows tenfold.
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