在众议院监督委员会就杰弗里·爱泼斯坦网络展开持续调查之际，该委员会公布了对88岁的韦克斯纳长达近五小时的完整证词，这段录音捕捉到了韦克斯纳律师的瞬间。
证词进行数小时后，当韦克斯纳给出一段特别冗长的回答时，他的律师俯身向他耳语：“如果你再用超过五个词回答问题，我就他妈的杀了你，知道吗？”
韦克斯纳和他的律师在这句话后都笑了，表明韦克斯纳将其理解为玩笑。律师随后笑着指示韦克斯纳“回答问题”。
在此对话前不久，律师曾敦促韦克斯纳“回答问题”，称：“我相信我们都欣赏这些故事，我们只是试图回答他们真正想要得到的答案”，这里指的是众议院委员会。
爱泼斯坦调查负责人科默表示“无人凌驾于法律之上”，此前前安德鲁王子被逮捕
监督委员会听取了亿万富翁时尚大亨韦克斯纳的证词，他因彻底改变维多利亚的秘密连锁店而闻名。他讲述了自己与爱泼斯坦的关系，称爱泼斯坦只是严格意义上的商业伙伴，而非密友。
尽管一份2019年未公开的FBI文件将其列为同谋者，韦克斯纳表示从未直接收到FBI或司法部的联系。他在证词中坚持完全清白，称：“我天真、愚蠢且轻信，信任了杰弗里·爱泼斯坦。他是个骗子。虽然我被欺骗了，但我没有做错任何事，也没有任何需要隐瞒的。大约二十年前，当我得知他是施虐者、骗子和说谎者时，我已彻底断绝了与他的关系。”
委员会表示将“不加歪曲”地公布完整证词，称：“美国人民有权亲眼见证证词——透明度至关重要。”
韦克斯纳是L Brands的创始人，该公司前身为The Limited，通过它他收购了维多利亚的秘密、Bath & Body Works、Express和Abercrombie & Fitch等知名公司。他已不再与维多利亚的秘密有关联。作为爱泼斯坦的首批主要金融顾问客户，爱泼斯坦曾被赋予管理韦克斯纳巨额财富的权力。韦克斯纳还将曼哈顿联排别墅出售给爱泼斯坦，后来该房产被联邦当局指控为爱泼斯坦虐待18岁以下年轻女性的地点之一。
尽管如此，韦克斯纳称始终将与爱泼斯坦的关系严格定义为职业关系，称：“我不认为我和他共进过午餐、晚餐、电影或咖啡。我的重心始终在业务和社区上。”
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韦克斯纳作证称，2007年他得知爱泼斯坦涉嫌调查并挪用其及家族资金后，已与其断绝关系，并追回了大部分款项。
他还表示，从未意识到爱泼斯坦曾入住俄亥俄州新奥尔巴尼庄园的客房（据信玛丽亚·法默在此遭爱泼斯坦及其同伙吉斯莱恩·麦克斯韦虐待），仅知晓爱泼斯坦曾入住附近邻居家。当被追问是否否认法默称自己在其房产遭虐待的证词时，他称：“我从未见过她，不知道她在这里，也不知道她被虐待。”
他坚决否认知晓爱泼斯坦或麦克斯韦为显要人物安排女性，也否认与麦克斯韦、爱泼斯坦介绍的任何人发生过性接触或建立关系。
他进一步否认与另一位显要受害者弗吉尼亚·朱弗雷有任何性接触或知情。
司法部长帕姆·邦迪宣布“所有”爱泼斯坦档案已发布，列出300多位高知名度人士
韦克斯纳还被问及对爱泼斯坦与唐纳德·特朗普总统关系的了解。他称两人并非朋友，但爱泼斯坦“将自己塑造成我的朋友”。
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委员会还质问韦克斯纳在生日纪念册给爱泼斯坦的便条中画胸部并配文“亲爱的杰弗里，我想给你你想要的，所以这是……你的朋友莱斯利”的细节。
韦克斯纳证实便条由他所写，但解释道：“他是单身汉，所以我画了一对乳房作为玩笑，只是随口画的。”
韦克斯纳是众议院监督委员会在爱泼斯坦调查中传唤的第四位证人。
福克斯新闻数字版记者莉兹·埃尔金德对此报道有贡献。
Ex-Victoria’s Secret mogul Les Wexner’s lawyer was caught on a hot mic jokingly threatening to “kill” him if he continued giving long answers to questions during his deposition on Jeffrey Epstein by the House Oversight Committee.
The moment was caught after the committee released its full, nearly five-hour deposition of 88-year-old Wexner as part of its ongoing probe into Jeffrey Epstein’s network.
Several hours into the deposition, while Wexner was giving a particularly long-winded answer, Wexner’s attorney leaned over to him and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to f—ing kill you if you answer another question with more than five words, okay?”
Both Wexner and his attorney laughed after this statement, indicating Wexner understood it as a joke. The lawyer proceeded to instruct Wexner to “answer the question,” laughing more.
Shortly before this exchange, the attorney had urged Wexner to “answer the question,” saying, “I’m sure we all appreciate the stories, we’re just trying to answer questions that they actually want answered,” referring to the House committee.
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The Oversight Committee heard from Wexner, a billionaire fashion mogul best known for his work in revolutionizing the Victoria’s Secret store chain, about his involvement with Epstein, whom Wexner characterized as strictly a business associate rather than a close friend.
Despite being named a co-conspirator in a recently uncovered FBI document from 2019, Wexner said that he has never been directly contacted by either the FBI or the Department of Justice. He maintained his total innocence during the deposition, saying, “I was naïve, 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.”
The committee stated it was releasing the full deposition with “no spin,” saying, “The American people deserve to see the testimony for themselves—transparency matters.”
Wexner is the founder of L Brands, formerly called The Limited, through which he acquired well-known companies Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Express, and Abercrombie & Fitch, among others. He is no longer associated with Victoria’s Secret. He was one of Epstein’s first major clients as a financial advisor, with Epstein being granted power of attorney over Wexner’s vast wealth. Wexner also sold his Manhattan townhouse to Epstein, which was later discovered to be one of the locations 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 as strictly professional, saying, “I don’t think I ever went to lunch, or dinner, a movie or had a cup of coffee with Jeffrey,” adding, “My focus was on my business and on community.”
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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 substantial amount of the money was returned.
Wexner also testified that he was not aware of Epstein ever staying at a guesthouse on his New Albany, Ohio, estate, where Maria Farmer is said to have been abused by Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell. He maintained that he only had knowledge of Epstein staying at a nearby neighbor’s residence. Pressed on whether he denies Farmer’s testimony that she was abused on his property, he stated, “I never met her, didn’t know she was here, didn’t know she was abused.”
He categorically denied any knowledge of either Epstein or Maxwell arranging women for prominent individuals. He also categorically denied ever having a sexual encounter with anyone introduced by Maxwell and Epstein or having any sexual relationship with Epstein himself.
He further denied any sexual contact or knowledge of another prominent Epstein victim, Virginia Giuffre.
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Wexner was also asked about his knowledge of Epstein and President Donald Trump’s relationship. He said that he does not think they were friends, but said Epstein “held him out as a friend.”
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Committee members also questioned Wexner on a note he wrote in a birthday book to Epstein in which he drew breasts with the caption, “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 a pair of boobs as kind of a joke, offhandedly, I would say.”
Wexner is the fourth person appearing before the House Oversight Committee in its Epstein probe.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
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