Lenchen 🇹🇹🇺🇸

Statement of Leslie H. Wexner Submitted to the Committee On Oversight And Government Reform, United States House of Representatives February 18, 2026 I am pleased to testify today. Pleased because it is an opportunity to set the record straight. Over the years, I have been the subject of outrageous untrue statements and hurtful rumor, innuendo, and speculation. Let me state from the start: I was naive, 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 co-conspirator in any of Epstein's illegal activities. To my enormous embarrassment and regret I, like many others, was duped by a world-class con man. I cannot undo that part of my personal history even as 1 regret ever having met him. Before going any further, though, I want to acknowledge the survivors of Epstein's terrible crimes and the devastation that each of them has endured as a result. The pain he inflicted upon them is unfathomable to me. My heart goes out to each of them. I want you to know something about the man seated before you. I am 88 years old, a husband to Abigail since 1993, the father of four adult children and, proudly, a grandfather. I have lived in Ohio my entire life. I am a philanthropist, community builder, business owner, and the Founder and former CEO of Brands. I constantly strive to live my life in an ethical manner in line with my moral compass, devoting time and energy to my faith, my community, my business, my LBrands associates, and my family and friends. I founded The Limited Stores in 1963 with a $5,000 loan from my aunt Ida. I grew the company from one small store, The Limited, by creating, acquiring, and leading the d…

Nearly every waking hour during my work weeks was spent on the business. My weekends also were filled by business responsibilities, my real estate development interests, community, charitable projects, and, ultimately, my growing family. Given these demanding time commitments, I long ago began hiring others to manage my personal finances, starting with Harold Levin, then Epstein, followed by Dennis Hersch, and now a combination of my wife Abigail and an outside multi-family office. I was introduced to Epstein in the mid-to-late 1980s by Bob Meister, the former Vice Chairman of Aon. Bob knew I needed help managing my personal finances and suggested that I speak with Epstein. I did not rely solely on Bob's recommendation. I consulted Ace Greenberg and Jimmy Cayne of Bear Stearns, Epstein's former employer, both of whom endorsed Epstein without hesitation. Epstein also offered a reference, Elie de Rothschild. When I spoke with Elie, he highly recommended Epstein based upon work Epstein had done for his family. At first, Epstein was unwilling to take me on as a client. In fact, for the first few years I was acquainted with him, Epstein offered me advice here and there while explaining that giving individual financial advice was not his focus and refusing to accept compensation. He said he was assisting me as a favor. Little did I realize that, from the very start, Epstein was conniving to gain my trust. As my financial resources and time demands continued to grow, I formally hired Epstein to manage my personal finances. Because my public company and other duties required my full attention, I provided Epstein with a power of attorney so he could execute transactions quickly, without constantly requiring my signature. The need for a power of attorney was clear to me, and I provided the same scope of authority to Epstein as I did to his successor, Dennis Hersch. What I did not anticipate was Epstein misusing the trust I placed in him despite his fiduciary obligation to act…

for three years and have been married to her for 33 years. We are completely devoted to each other. To be clear, never once in 36 years have I been unfaithful to Abigail in any way, shape, or form. Never. Any suggestion to the contrary is absolutely and entirely false. Again, to be clear, I never saw or heard about Epstein being in the company of a minor girl. To the contrary, he led me to believe he was in serious and long-term relationships with two women, Dr. Eva Anderson and later Ghislaine Maxwell, both of whom he said he contemplated marrying. I was never on his airplane. Contrary to rumor, I did not give Epstein the New York townhouse; he purchased it from me for what I was told was the appraised value. After we moved out, I never set foot in that house again. I visited Epstein's island only once, shortly after he purchased it, when Abigail, our young children, and I stopped for a few hours one morning while we were on a cruise on our boat. Again, the side of Epstein that he chose to reveal to me was far different from the predator he eventually was exposed to be. As I have stated before, my contact with Epstein entirely terminated nearly twenty years ago. In late 2006, Epstein told Abigail that he had a legal issue in Palm Beach but insisted that what he referred to as baseless, trumped-up charges by an overaggressive police chief would be dismissed. In 2007, however, Epstein informed Abigail that his situation could become messy and he might have to spend time away. To say the least, this was shocking. At the same time, Epstein suggested that Abigail could handle our personal finances if he were to become unavailable, and for the first time he provided her with the financial information she would need. Due to the complexity of the information, it took time to unravel, but after reviewing the information it became clear to Abigail that Epstein had stolen vast sums from our family. Once I learned of his abusive conduct and theft from my family, I never spoke …

1. Billionaire Les Wexner, the founder of The Limited and Bath & Body Works, who transformed Victoria’s Secret and other brands, was deposed by the House Oversight Committee today about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

I don't see a problem as long as justice prevails.

Brutal new polling finds Trump's net approval is -16 — down 22 points from inauguration day.

Every authoritarian action he's taking must be understood against the backdrop of his declining popularity.

He feigns strength, but he's operating from a place of weakness.

Screenshot of an X post by Shannon Watts criticizing Palantir CEO Alex Karp for saying “We kill people sometimes” while addressing shareholders. The embedded image shows Karp standing at a conference table with colleagues in a room displaying the Palantir logo.

It would simply never happen.

This Week In The Big Picture The good news is that the SAVE Act, the Trump-backed bill that would impose draconian barriers to voting, doesn’t have the votes to pass the U.S.

The SAVE Act doesn’t have the votes in the Senate, but Trump doesn’t need it to pass to do damage. In tomorrow’s piece, Jay Kuo breaks down how Republicans are using it to undermine trust in our elections ahead of November. Yesterday, Todd Beeton reported from Senate Dems’ digital creators summit.

The Trump regime deported a 2-month-old baby and his family after the infant was hospitalized following their detention at the Dilley family detention center.

Rep. Joaquin Castro says the family was shipped off with only the money in their commissary — $190.

The cruelty is endless.

Today we once again witnessed CBS capitulate to Trump.

I created Democracy Docket to never back down or obey. It has no corporate backers, venture capitalists or private equity investors. It's only accountable to its members who support its 22-person team. Become one now. hubs.ly/Q03M8rql0

What might a regretful Trump voter do to pay penance for their sins besides apologize on social media? Get a Bad Bunny tattoo? Donate to Planned Parenthood? Actually vote against Republicans?

Finally, people are recognizing what I have been saying for months -- CBS has completely capitulate to Trump.

I created Democracy Docket to never back down. It has no corporate backers and will never obey. It's only accountable to its readers who support it. Sign up now. bit.ly/4qmEiFz

What Donald Trump leaves out is that Americans are paying nearly 90% of his tariffs.

Medicare for All - "That's socialism!"

Social Security - "That's socialism!"

Debt free education - "That's socialism!"

Universal childcare - "That's socialism!"

Billions for ICE, refurbishing Trump's Qatar jet, and tax cuts for the rich...

"That's just how it is."

The lying never stops in this administration.

Seven Dems voted to fund the terrorizing of communities, while begging Dems to send them money for reelection.

Not on your fucking betraying life.

Suozzi, Perez, Davis, Cuellar, Gonzalez, Gillen, Golden are all dead to me.

All MUST be primaried. All of them.

I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening.

The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.

AOC: They need 10 Democratic votes in the Senate to pass, continued unfettered ICE funding with no guardrails. Regardless of where you are in the Democratic party, this moment proves that the status quo cannot stand

I would implore my Democratic colleagues in the senate to vote no

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.

White. Hot. Rage.

A doctor who witnessed the shooting submits a sworn declaration in federal litigation to halt ICE surge in MN:

"I did not see him attack the agents or brandish a weapon of any kind."

and

"The victim had at least three bullet wounds in his back."

Read storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

WOW on Pretti's denial of medical treatment

"I informed the ICE agents that I am a physician, and I asked to
assess the victim.

At first, the ICE agents wouldn't let me through. ... But none of the ICE agents who were near the victim were performing CPR, ... None of the agents were helping him."

2. Khanna says, among other issues, that the DOJ is not explaining its redactions and has completely redacted a 119-page grand jury file, even though the judge ordered it released.

Khanna says he and Massie are exploring their legal options.

1. BREAKING

Congressman Ro Khanna — who co-authored the Epstein bill with Congressman Thomas Massie — says the Trump Department of Justice’s Epstein files release today DOES NOT comply with federal law.

Mick Foley has parted ways with the WWE due to it's relationship with the loathsome piece of shit. 😳👇

Netflix, Warner Bros., Paramount, Jared Kushner, and Saudi Arabia?

My reaction to @goodworkmb's timely skit about movie mega-mergers.

Trump PANICS After TOP ADVISOR FLIPS And Reveals BOMBSHELL Info YouTube video by Michael Cohen

Make sure to watch, comment and share! Trump PANICS After TOP ADVISOR FLIPS And Reveals BOMBSHELL Info
youtu.be/WMXYsGnYeZ8

When I was on CNN's northeast desk, the first job at 6a every morning was to read the local papers. That guided some of what the massive CNN machine followed every day.

When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.

Grainy, slightly blurred image of a person walking on a paved surface near a curb. The person is wearing a dark hooded jacket layered over a lighter-colored top, dark pants, and dark shoes. A face covering or mask obscures most of their face. Their hands appear near or inside the jacket pockets as they stride forward with one leg extended. The background is out of focus, showing a roadway edge and sidewalk, suggesting an outdoor, possibly cold-weather setting.

FBI has just released this image of the person of interest in the Brown shootings.

They basically want articles about the admin to read like a transcript of Dear Leader's Cabinet meetings.

AI and crypto have created the illusion that all is well with the economy — even as Trump has taken a wrecking ball to it.

When the AI and crypto bubbles burst, we’ll likely see the damage Trump’s wrecking ball has done.

Be warned.

The Trump sycophants and spinmasters can twist the jobs numbers all they want to fool people, but here is one simple number they can’t change: the US unemployment rate is now the highest it’s been in 4 years.

Tweet criticizing Republicans for continuing to blame Joe Biden for economic issues, with an image of JD Vance speaking during a Trump cabinet meeting on Fox News.

Give it a rest, JD. Everyone knows the high tariffs and cuts to healthcare support happened under Trump.