Some Ohio politicians seem to be putting some distance between themselves and the state's wealthiest man, a longtime campaign donor now in the spotlight in the Epstein files story.
L Brands founder and retired CEO Les Wexner was listed in FBI documents from 2019 as a potential co-conspirator as part of the inner circle of Jeffery Epstein, the late convicted sex offender who died by suicide while awaiting trial on child trafficking charges. Wexner's legal team has stated that prosecutors told him he was not a target of the investigation. Wexner was deposed by Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform committee at his New Albany estate on Feb. 19. Wexner denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes before the panel, and in a statement he said he was "conned" by Epstein and that he was "naive" and "gullible".
Some Ohio politicians have given campaign donations they received from Wexner to charity, and are calling for other changes like removing his name from public buildings and ousting him from public boards.
Ohio State University Political Science Professor Emeritus Paul Beck said he’s not surprised that candidates who received Wexner’s money are giving it back.
“In this atmosphere of uncertainty, with more revelations to come perhaps, they want to distance themselves as much as they can from Les Wexner," Beck said in an interview.
Beck said the Epstein files could be a major campaign issue if more information is revealed or charges are eventually filed.
“It sometimes hard for voters to sort all of this out. I think a lot of voters are cynical when it comes to political giving, assuming that the money is a wash everywhere and they may just kind of let that go by and vote for candidates on other grounds," Beck said.
No charges have been filed against Wexner.
Beck said there’s also the possibility that this controversy could end up much like the scandal over House Bill 6, the billion-dollar bailout for Ohio's nuclear power plants. That case has resulted in bribery convictions and prison for Republican former House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chair Matt Borges. That controversy gained little traction with voters in the elections following those convictions. Beck said there's a possibility the controversy involving Wexner would also not resonate with voters because it is too confusing, especially if no charges are filed.
