Attorney jokingly threatens to ‘kill’ ex-Victoria Secret CEO during Epstein deposition
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Former Victoria’s Secret mogul Les Wexner’s lawyer was caught on a hot mic jokingly threatening to “kill” him if he continued to give long answers to questions during his testimony about Jeffrey Epstein by the House Oversight Committee.
The moments were captured as the committee released nearly five hours of testimony from the 88-year-old Wexner in its entirety as part of its ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network.
A few hours after the deposition, as Wexner gave a particularly long-winded answer, Wexner’s attorney leaned over and whispered in his ear, “If you answer any other question in more than five words, I’m going to kill you, okay?”
After this statement, both Wexner and his lawyer laughed, indicating that Wexner understood it as a joke. The lawyer laughed more and instructed Wexner to “answer the question.”
Shortly before that exchange, the lawyer had called on Wexner to “answer the question,” referring to a House committee, saying, “I’m sure we all appreciate stories, we’re just trying to answer the questions they really want answered.”
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The name of Leslie Wexner, founder of Victoria’s Secret and other fashion brands, appears multiple times in the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files. (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Fragrance Foundation; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret; Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
The Oversight Committee heard from Wexner, the billionaire fashion mogul known for his work revolutionizing the Victoria’s Secret chain of stores, about his relationship with Epstein, whom Wexner described strictly as a business partner rather than a close friend.
Although he was named as an accomplice in a recently unsealed 2019 FBI document, Wexner said he was never directly contacted by either the FBI or the Justice Department. During the deposition, she maintained her complete innocence, saying: “I was naive, stupid, and naive enough to trust Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man. And while I was deceived, I did 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 fraud, and a liar.”
The committee stated that it would publish the full statement “without spin” and added, “The American people deserve to see the statement with their own eyes; transparency is important.” he said.
Wexner is the founder of L Brands, formerly The Limited, through which he acquired well-known companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Express, and Abercrombie & Fitch, among others. She is no longer affiliated with Victoria’s Secret. He was one of Epstein’s first major clients as a financial advisor, and Epstein was given power of attorney over Wexner’s enormous fortune. Wexner also sold his Manhattan townhouse to Epstein; This was later revealed to be one of the places where federal authorities accused Epstein of abusing young women and girls under 18.
Despite this, Wexner stated that he always kept his relationship with Epstein at a professional level, saying, “I don’t think I ever went to lunch, dinner, a movie or coffee with Jeffrey,” adding, “My focus was on my work and society.”
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Les Wexner, founder and former CEO of L Brands, speaks at the company’s investor day at the retailer’s headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, on November 2, 2017. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Wexner said he severed ties with Epstein in 2007 after learning of an investigation and discovering that Epstein had misappropriated funds from him and his family. He said a significant amount of money was refunded.
Wexner also testified that he was unaware that Epstein was staying at a guesthouse on his property in New Albany, Ohio; where Maria Farmer is said to have been abused by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. He claimed only that he had knowledge that Epstein was staying at a nearby neighbor’s home. When asked if he denied Farmer’s statement that he was harassed on his property, he said: “I never met her, I didn’t know she was here, I didn’t know she was harassed.”
He categorically denied having any knowledge that Epstein or Maxwell were arranging women for prominent figures. She also categorically denied having sexual relations with anyone that Maxwell and Epstein introduced, or that Epstein had any sexual relations with her.
He also denied having any sexual contact or knowledge of another prominent Epstein victim, Virginia Giuffre.
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Jeffrey Epstein is with Ghislaine Maxwell. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Wexner was also asked about his knowledge of Epstein and President Donald Trump’s relationship. She said she didn’t think they were friends, but that Epstein “did see her as a friend.”
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Committee members also questioned Wexner about a note she wrote in a birthday book to Epstein in which she drew breasts and was captioned, “Dear Jeffrey, I wanted to get you what you wanted, so here it is… Your Friend, Leslie.”
Wexner confirmed that he wrote the note but denied it, saying: “She was a bachelor, so I drew a pair of breasts as a sort of joke, offhand, so to speak.”
Wexner is the fourth person to appear before the House Oversight Committee in the Epstein investigation.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
