莱斯·韦克斯纳（Les Wexner）是众议院调查联邦政府处理爱泼斯坦案件的最新一名接受证词质询者。
据福克斯新闻数字版获得的开场陈述显示，他告诉众议院调查人员，自己被已故恋童癖者”欺骗”，对其犯罪行为毫不知情且未参与其中。
韦克斯纳的陈述中写道：”我首先要说明：我天真、愚蠢且轻信，竟然会信任杰弗里·爱泼斯坦。他是个骗子。虽然我被他欺骗了，但我没有做错任何事，也没有什么可隐瞒的。近20年前，当我得知他是施虐者、骗子和说谎者时，我彻底且不可逆转地与爱泼斯坦断绝了关系。”
“我从未参与爱泼斯坦的任何非法活动，也不是同谋。令我极为尴尬和遗憾的是，和许多其他人一样，我被一个世界级的骗子欺骗了。即使我后悔认识过他，也无法改变我个人历史中的那部分经历。”
他还表示，自己”由衷地同情”多年来受害于爱泼斯坦的年轻女性和女孩们。
这位亿万富翁时尚大亨将自己描绘成一个丈夫、父亲和祖父，努力”以符合我的道德准则的方式生活，将时间和精力投入到我的信仰、社区、事业、L Brands员工以及家人和朋友身上”。
与之前大多数证词质询不同，委员会工作人员和议员们周三上午前往俄亥俄州，在韦克斯纳的家乡对他进行质询。
韦克斯纳的发言人拒绝对他是否会援引第五修正案权利拒绝回答问题置评。但他的证词可能是解开爱泼斯坦在2019年于曼哈顿监狱自杀前如何积累巨额财富的关键。
88岁的企业家是L Brands的创始人，该公司前身为The Limited，通过它他收购了知名公司维多利亚的秘密（Victoria’s Secret）、Bath & Body Works、Express和Abercrombie & Fitch等。
他也是爱泼斯坦早期的主要客户之一，当时爱泼斯坦被授予管理韦克斯纳巨额财富的授权。
韦克斯纳还将自己位于曼哈顿的联排别墅卖给了爱泼斯坦，后来该房产被发现是联邦当局指控爱泼斯坦虐待18岁以下年轻女性和女孩的地点之一。
他告诉众议院调查人员，自己在20世纪80年代通过一位同事认识了爱泼斯坦，而他前雇主贝尔斯登（Bear Stearns）的另外两个人”毫不犹豫地推荐了爱泼斯坦”作为财务顾问。
韦克斯纳说，爱泼斯坦还因在家族业务中提供服务而”备受埃利·德·罗斯柴尔德（Elie de Rothschild）的推荐”。
“起初，爱泼斯坦不愿意接受我作为客户。事实上，在我认识他的头几年里，他偶尔会给我一些建议，同时解释说提供个人财务建议不是他的重点，也拒绝接受报酬。他说他是在帮我一个忙。我丝毫没有意识到，从一开始，爱泼斯坦就在阴谋策划以获取我的信任。”韦克斯纳表示。
韦克斯纳称，随着自己财富的增长，他开始为爱泼斯坦的工作付费，并在自己主要忙于经营企业时签署了授权书给他。但他坚持称，自己对爱泼斯坦所谓的”双重生活”一无所知。
“他很聪明、阴险且是个操纵大师。他精心只向我透露他作为一位精明的金融大师的生活的一瞥——他曾与国家元首、高级政客、王室成员、大学校长、教授、首席执行官、音乐家和其他名人咨询合作。”韦克斯纳说。
“虽然我没有和爱泼斯坦的社交圈来往，但他经常告诉我他的知名熟人以及他担任的重要职务，有时我会经历看似偶然的邂逅，这些邂逅可能是爱泼斯坦策划的，与声称认识爱泼斯坦的名人见面。多年来，他精心利用与重要人物的相识来营造一种合法性的光环，然后利用这种光环进一步扩大他的熟人网络和明显的可信度。”
韦克斯纳说，爱泼斯坦”完全隐藏了”他的罪行，”他知道我绝不会容忍他可怕的行为”，他也从未见过爱泼斯坦与未成年人在一起。
韦克斯纳从未因这位已故恋童癖者的罪行受到刑事指控或起诉。
韦克斯纳2019年8月7日写给其韦克斯纳基金会慈善机构的一封信称，在近20年前首次对爱泼斯坦的犯罪行为进行联邦调查后，他就结束了与爱泼斯坦的关系。
韦克斯纳还指责爱泼斯坦滥用他的巨额财富。
“随着针对爱泼斯坦先生在佛罗里达州的指控浮出水面，他强烈否认了这些指控。但到2007年秋初，我们一致认为他应该退出我们个人财务的管理。在此过程中，我们发现他挪用了我和我家人的巨额资金。”周二福克斯新闻数字版获得的这封信中写道。
“坦率地说，这是一个巨大的震惊，尽管与现在对他的不可思议的指控相比，这显然相形见绌。由于他的可信度和我们对他的信任被破坏，我们立即与他断绝了关系。我们追回了部分资金。”
韦克斯纳是众议院监督委员会在爱泼斯坦调查中第四位接受质询的人。
众议院监督委员会主席詹姆斯·科默（James Comer），R-Ky.，此前曾通过前特朗普政府司法部长比尔·巴尔、前特朗普劳工部长亚历克斯·阿科斯塔（他是佛罗里达州美国检察官，签署了爱泼斯坦臭名昭著的2008年不起诉协议）和被定罪的爱泼斯坦同谋者吉斯莱恩·麦克斯韦的证词质询监督该小组。
麦克斯韦的证词质询持续了不到一小时，她援引第五修正案，拒绝回答问题，除非得到唐纳德·特朗普总统的赦免。
伊丽莎白·埃尔金德（Elizabeth Elkind）是福克斯新闻数字版的政治记者，负责众议院的主要报道。此前在《每日邮报》和哥伦比亚广播公司新闻（CBS News）有过数字专栏经历。
在Twitter上关注她@liz_elkind，或发送提示至elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
The House Oversight Committee is hearing from a billionaire on Wednesday who was named one of Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirators by a 2019 FBI document.
Les Wexner is the latest person to be deposed in the House’s investigation into the federal government’s handling of Epstein’s case.
He told House investigators that he was “conned” by the late pedophile and that he had no knowledge of or participation in his crimes, according to an opening statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Let me state from the start: 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,” Wexner’s statement read.
“I was never a participant nor coconspirator in any of Epstein’s illegal activities. To my enormous embarrassment and regret, I, like many others, was duped by a world-class con man. I cannot undo that part of my personal history even as I regret ever having met him.”
He also said his “heart goes out” to the young women and girls who fell victim to Epstein over the years.
The billionaire fashion mogul painted himself as a husband, father, and grandfather who sought to live “in an ethical manner in line with my moral compass, devoting time and energy to my faith, my community, my business, my L Brands associates, and my family and friends.”
Unlike most previous depositions, committee staff and lawmakers traveled to Ohio on Wednesday morning to depose Wexner in his home state.
A spokesperson for Wexner declined to comment on whether he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right to avoid answering questions. But his insight is likely to be key to unlocking information on just how Epstein obtained his vast wealth before dying by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019.
The 88-year-old businessman 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 was also 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.
He told House investigators that he was introduced to Epstein in the 1980s by a fellow executive, and that two subsequent people at his former employer Bear Stearns “endorsed Epstein without hesitation” as a financial advisor.
Wexner said Epstein was also “highly recommended” by Elie de Rothschild for work Epstein did for his family.
“At first, Epstein was unwilling to take me on as a client. In fact, for the first few years I was acquainted with him, Epstein offered me advice here and there while explaining that giving individual financial advice was not his focus and refusing to accept compensation. He said he was assisting me as a favor. Little did I realize that, from the very start, Epstein was conniving to gain my trust,” Wexner said.
Wexner also claimed he began paying Epstein for his work as his wealth grew and signed over power of attorney to him while his own work was largely occupied by running his businesses. But he maintained he knew nothing of what he called Epstein’s “double life.”
“He was clever, diabolical, and a master manipulator. He was meticulous in revealing to me only glimpses into the life in which he was a sophisticated financial guru who consulted with heads of state, high-ranking politicians, royalty, university presidents, professors, CEOs, musicians, and other luminaries,” Wexner said.
“While I did not socialize in Epstein’s social circle, he often told me about his famous acquaintances and important positions he held, and at times I experienced what seemed to be random chance encounters, probably orchestrated by Epstein, with prominent individuals who said they knew Epstein. Over the course of many years, he carefully used his acquaintance with important individuals to curate an aura of legitimacy that he then used to expand his network of acquaintances, and apparent credibility, even farther.”
Wexner said Epstein “fully hid” his crimes and “knew that I never would have tolerated his horrible behavior,” nor did he ever see Epstein in the company of a minor.
Wexner has never been criminally accused nor charged in relation to the late pedophile’s crimes.
A letter from Wexner to his Wexner Foundation charity dated Aug. 7, 2019, said he ended his relationship with Epstein sometime after the first federal investigation into his crimes emerged nearly 20 years ago.
Wexner also accused Epstein of misusing his vast wealth.
“As the allegations against Mr. Epstein in Florida were emerging, he vehemently denied them. But by early fall 2007, it was agreed that he should step back from the management of our personal finances. In that process, we discovered that he had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family,” read the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“This was, frankly, a tremendous shock, even though it clearly pales in comparison to the unthinkable allegations against him now. With his credibility and our trust in him destroyed, we immediately severed ties with him. We were able to recover some of the funds.”
Wexner is the fourth person appearing before the House Oversight Committee in its Epstein probe.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., previously oversaw the panel through the depositions of former Trump administration Attorney General Bill Barr, ex-Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who was the U.S. attorney in Florida who signed off on Epstein’s infamous 2008 non-prosecution agreement, and convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell’s deposition lasted less than an hour after she invoked the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer questions unless she was granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
