Les Wexner Congressional Deposition in progress

Congressional depositions of Leslie Wexner, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s closest known associates and biggest benefactors, began privately in Ohio on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter told MS NOW.

The deposition comes weeks after the Justice Department released millions of additional Epstein-related files, revealing new connections between the notorious sex offender and key figures in business and politics.

Wexner is an 88-year-old retail billionaire and former company founder. victoria’s secret Former parent company L Brands has faced intense scrutiny for years over its personal and financial ties to Mr. Epstein.

Decades ago, Mr. Wexner gave Mr. Epstein, a high school math teacher turned money manager, power of attorney over his finances. Wexner was for a long time Epstein’s only publicly known client.

Mr. Wexner has not been charged with any crime. After Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and died by suicide in prison a month later, Wexner said he was ashamed to have been “taken advantage of by someone so corrupt.”

The Wexner Foundation did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Wednesday’s deposition. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoenaed Wexner and other Epstein associates in January with bipartisan support.

“The most important information for us is actually about funding,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the oversight committee, said on CNN early Wednesday.

“We know that Mr. Wexner is Jeffrey Epstein’s biggest benefactor,” Garcia said. “If you think about Epstein’s wealth, whether it’s planes, islands, the amount of money he owned, his home, a lot of it came directly from Wexner.

“We don’t know exactly why. It’s not clear,” he said. “If you talk to survivors, they will all share that Wexner was at the center of Epstein’s operations.”

This is developing news. Please check back for the latest information.