Billionaire retail executive Les Wexner's name should not be removed from buildings at Ohio State University because there is no evidence he was involved in the sexual assault of girls in connection with disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
"There is no evidence that I'm aware of that he has done anything wrong," DeWine, a Republican, said during Politico's 2026 Governors Summit on Thursday, held during the National Governors Association's Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., reports Cleveland.com on Friday.
"And every article you see, newspapers are careful," he added.
"He has been a prominent member of the community, you know, done many, many things. The Wexner Medical Center not only has his name on it, but he has put a significant amount of money into it and [his] leadership," DeWine said.
"Barring, you know, some new information of something that he has done illegal, I don't see a problem," the governor added.
"Again, information could come out. But, you know, this thing has been beaten around, as you know, for a long, long time," he said.
DeWine's comments come just days before a new building will open at the OSU Wexner Medical Center on Sunday.
The 26-story inpatient tower, which includes 24 operating rooms and 820 private rooms, is the newest structure in the hospital’s facilities and cost more than $1 billion to build.
Wexner is the founder of L Brands Inc., which once encompassed several mall brands, including Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, The Limited, Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lerner New York, Lane Bryant, and Henri Bendel.
The stores have been acquired by other companies. In the summer of 2021, L Brands completed a major restructuring by spinning off Victoria's Secret and other holdings.
The remaining company was renamed Bath & Body Works, marking a new chapter centered on the bath, body, and home-fragrance business.
Wexner is retired and is chairman emeritus of the company.
Earlier this week, Wexner told House Democrats in a written statement that he did not know about Epstein's criminal conduct and said that he had been deceived by the disgraced financier.
He also denied any involvement in any of Epstein's wrongdoing.
"I was naive, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man," Wexner said in his statement.
Meanwhile, Wexner and his wife, Abigail, have reportedly donated thousands of dollars to DeWine either personally or through L Brands.
There have been several calls to remove Wexner's name from the OSU health system buildings, including from the OSU nurses' union, reports The Columbus Dispatch.
OSU spokesman Ben Johnson said that as of Wednesday, 295 requests for name changes have been submitted to the university related to the Wexner family.
The OSU hospital has been named the Wexner Medical Center for 16 years because of the billionaire's donations, including a $100 million contribution in 2011.
His name is also on the Wexner Center for the Arts on the OSU campus in Columbus.
Wexner and Epstein met in the mid-1980s, when they were introduced by an insurance executive.
According to reports, Epstein was recommended to Wexner by employees at Bear Stearns, as well as a member of the Rothschild banking family.
Eventually, Epstein became Wexner's personal financial advisor, gaining power of attorney.
Wexner said he cut off the financier after discovering he took money from his family.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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