Attorney jokingly threatens to ‘kill’ former Victoria’s Secret CEO during Epstein’s deposition
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Ex-Victoria’s Secret mogul Les Wexner’s lawyer was caught on camera jokingly threatening to “kill him” if he continued to give lengthy answers to questions during the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment of Jeffrey Epstein.
The session was held after the committee deposed the 88-year-old Wexner in full, about five hours as part of the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network.
Several hours into the filing, while Wexner was giving a lengthy response, Wexner’s attorney leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to—kill you if you answer another question in more than five words, okay?”
Both Wexner and his attorney laughed after the statement, indicating that Wexner took it as a joke. The attorney continued to order Wexner to “answer the question,” laughing loudly.
Just before the exchange, the attorney had urged Wexner to “answer the question,” saying, “I’m sure we’re all aware of this news, trying to answer the questions that they really want answered,” referring to the House committee.
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Leslie Wexner, founder of Victoria’s Secret and other fashion brands, has been named multiple times in DOJ files on Jeffrey Epstein. (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 fashion billionaire best known for his work transforming the Victoria’s Secret department store chain, about his involvement with Epstein, whom Wexner described as strictly a business associate rather than a close friend.
Although he was named as a conspirator in a newly declassified FBI document from 2019, Wexner said he was never directly contacted by the FBI or the Justice Department. He maintained his complete innocence during the deposition, saying, “I was naive, foolish, and deluded to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a fraud. And while I was incarcerated, I did nothing wrong and I have nothing to hide. I completely and irrevocably severed relations with Epstein almost twenty years ago when I learned that he was an abuser, a liar, a abuser.”
The committee said it was releasing the full story “unaltered,” saying, “The American people deserve to see the evidence for themselves — the plain news.”
Wexner is the founder of L Brands, formerly known as The Limited, through which he acquired the well-known companies Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Express, and Abercrombie & Fitch, among others. He is no longer affiliated with Victoria’s Secret. He was one of Epstein’s first major clients as a financial advisor, with Epstein being given power of attorney over Wexner’s vast fortune. Wexner also sold his Manhattan townhouse to Epstein, which was later found to be one of the locations where agency officials accused Epstein of abusing women and girls under the age of 18.
Despite this, Wexner said he always kept his relationship with Epstein strictly professional, saying, “I don’t think I ever went to lunch, or dinner, a movie or a cup of coffee with Jeffrey,” adding, “I was focused on my business and the community.”
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L Brands founder and former CEO Les Wexner speaks during the company’s investor day at the retailer’s headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, on Nov. 2, 2017. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Wexner said she broke up with Epstein in 2007 after learning of the investigation and finding that Epstein had misappropriated her and her family’s money. He said a lot of money was returned.
Wexner also testified that he did not know that Epstein had once stayed at a guest house in his New Albany, Ohio, home, where Maria Farmer was allegedly abused by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. He insisted that he only knew that Epstein was living in a nearby neighbor’s apartment. Pressed on whether he denies Farmer’s testimony that he was abused in his place, he said, “I never met him, I didn’t know he was here, I didn’t know he was abused.”
He flatly denied any knowledge that Epstein or Maxwell were grooming prominent women. He also categorically denied ever having a sexual relationship with anyone introduced by Maxwell and Epstein or having a sexual relationship with Epstein himself.
He also denied sexual contact or knowledge of another famous Epstein victim, Virginia Giuffre.
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Jeffrey Epstein alongside Ghislaine Maxwell. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Wexner was also asked about his knowledge of Epstein’s relationship with President Donald Trump. He said he doesn’t think they were friends, but said Epstein “kept him as a friend.”
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Committee members also questioned Wexner about a note she wrote in a birthday letter to Epstein in which she drew breasts and captioned it, “Dear Jeffrey, I wanted to get you what you want, so here it is … Your friend, Leslie.”
Wexner confirmed that he wrote the note but dismissed it, saying, “He was a bachelor, so I drew the boobs as a joke, on the contrary, I would say.”
Wexner is the fourth person to appear before the House Oversight Committee in its Epstein investigation.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
