Over the course of a five-hour deposition on Wednesday, retail billionaire Leslie Wexner offered few new details about his interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and sought to distance himself from the notorious sex offender.
Though Wexner granted power of attorney to Jeffrey Epstein for 16 years, was responsible for the bulk of his wealth according to prosecutors, and was once investigated as a potential co-conspirator in his crimes, the 88-year-old billionaire told lawmakers that he barely interacted with Epstein over the course of their relationship.
Video of the closed-door deposition was released Thursday by the House Oversight Committee.
This Sept. 19, 2014, file photo shows retail mogul Leslie Wexner, at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio.
Jay Laprete/AP, FILE
According to Wexner, he was “conned by the world Olympic all-time con artist” and completely severed ties with Epstein once he realized the extent of his crimes.
Asked if he ever had any contact with Epstein after 2008 when the financier pleaded guilty to solicitation of minors, Wexner responded: “Never talked to him. Never saw him, as far as I was concerned. Once we knew how bad he was, he was dead.”
At one point, the length of his answers appeared to irk his lawyers.
“Stop telling stories. Just answer the question,” his attorney whispered at one point.
Dodges question about why he never reported alleged massive theft
During the deposition, Wexner said Epstein stole hundreds of millions from him, though he claimed he was not fully aware of the scope of the theft until years later.
Asked how much he alleges Epstein stole, he replied, “I don’t know. I don’t think I will ever know.”
Though Wexner was pressed about why he never sought charges against Epstein or reported him to authorities, the billionaire largely dodged the question.
“The question is, why didn’t you file any charges against Epstein if he conned you of $200 million that we know of?” Wexner was asked. “Why didn’t you go after him?”
“At the time, I didn’t know,” Wexner said.
“When you found out, why didn’t you go after him?” Wexner was asked. “Is it because he was a good friend?”
Wexner responded, citing what he said was advice from his father: “You don’t get into a pissing contest with an elephant.”
At one point, Wexner remarked that Epstein “would make Bernie Madoff look like a Boy Scout,” referring to the disgraced financial investor who was sentenced to 150 years in prison for defrauding investors in a massive Ponzi scheme and who died in 2021.
Les Wexner speaks onstage at the 2016 Fragrance Foundation Awards presented by Hearst Magazines, June 7, 2016, in New York.
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
“In hindsight, you know, uh, looking back, he would make Bernie Madoff look like a boy scout. So complete — so diabolical. I mean, just incredible, sinister,” Wexner told lawmakers.
Claimed he never witnessed abuse, sought to distance himself from Epstein
Wexner repeatedly told lawmakers that he never witnessed Epstein have sexual contact with minors or abuse women.
Wexner acknowledged that he and Epstein discussed receiving massages and said Epstein claimed he was undergoing massage therapy.
Despite the length of their relationship and Epstein’s role managing his finances, Wexner claimed that he never engaged socially with Epstein.
“What common interests did you share with Mr. Epstein?” Wexner was asked.
“None,” Wexner said.
“So, you didn’t have any personal relationship with Mr. Epstein whatsoever?”
“I don’t think I ever went to lunch or dinner or a movie or had a cup of coffee with Jeffrey,” Wexner said.
Recounts spending time with Trump, Epstein at Victoria’s Secret shows
Wexner told lawmakers that he did not have a relationship with Donald Trump, though he did spend some time with both Epstein and Trump at Victoria’s Secret shows. He said the interactions were “random.”
“Did you ever spend time with Epstein and Donald Trump?” Wexner was asked.
“Yes … I want to answer this question accurately,” Wexner said. “I would go to some of the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows. Because it was very important to the brand. At some of the fashion shows, Jeffrey was there and some Trump was there. And I remember because Trump would always introduce himself to me.”
ABC News’ Brianna Sanchez and Nathan Lee contributed to this report.
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