Sen. Jon Husted received donations from Epstein associate Les Wexner. We followed the money

In mid-February 2026, social media users circulated a rumor that U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, received more than $100,000 in donations from one of Jeffrey Epstein's associates, Les Wexner, before he voted to block the release of files related to the federal investigation into the late sex offender. 

The claim circulated on X and Facebook, including in a Facebook post from former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is running for Husted's seat as of this writing. 

This rumor originated with Feb. 12 reporting from TiffinOhio.net, a Northwest Ohio-focused news outlet with "progressive commentary," according to its website. TiffinOhio.net reported that Husted accepted $116,892 from Wexner between 2001 and 2025. The report included both Wexner's contributions to political action committees specifically for Husted and funds for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's gubernatorial campaigns, which Husted joined as a running mate. 

According to public campaign records, Wexner, a retail billionaire the FBI named as an unindicted co-conspirator of Epstein, directly donated nearly $80,000 to Husted's political action committees over the course of two decades, including a $3,500 donation in July 2025. Wexner also donated about $37,000 to DeWine and Husted's gubernatorial campaign. 

In September, Husted supported a motion to "table" — in other words, halt proceedings — on a Senate amendment proposed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that would have directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the Epstein files. 

Adding the amount Wexner donated to Husted alongside the amount he gave to DeWine and Husted's gubernatorial campaign results in a number greater than $100,000 (to be exact, $116,892.35). However, because some of the money went to both DeWine and Husted, not Husted alone, we have rated this claim as mostly true. 

It's worth noting that in November, the Senate approved the release of additional Epstein files after Schumer requested unanimous consent — a procedural tool to expedite legislation that assumes all senators are in favor of the bill unless one of them objects, rather than having each senator vote. Because Husted did not object, he signed off on releasing the Epstein files by default. 

Husted also reportedly told The Columbus Dispatch and Columbus television station WBNS that he would donate money received from Wexner, although he apparently declined to say how much he would donate and to which charities. Husted's office did not immediately return a request to verify this reporting and provide additional details.

In a emailed statement from Wexner's spokesperson, Wexner declined to comment on why he donated to Husted. 

"The Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner's legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect," a legal representative for Wexner added. "Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again."

The FBI named Wexner, who once ran Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret and other retail corporations, as a co-conspirator in an Aug. 15, 2019, document alongside seven other people, including Epstein associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. The Department of Justice released Wexner's previously redacted name on Feb. 9 after pressure from Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

Following the money 

Husted entered elected office in 2001. Here's every donation he received from Wexner from 2001 onward, as of this writing: 

Donations solely to Husted

A search for Wexner's name in connection with Husted's political action committees on the Federal Election Commission website determined that Wexner donated $3,500 to Husted for Senate on July 3, 2025.

While that's the only relevant donation that crops up on the FEC website, the vast majority of Wexner's donations to Husted happened when he was running for state office, not as a U.S. senator. That donation information is available on the Ohio secretary of state's website. A search for Husted's and Wexner's names returned a $15,400 donation sent in 2023 from Wexner to Jon Husted for Ohio, the senator's campaign committee for his state elections. 

As of this writing, campaign finance data from before 2020 in Ohio is not presented in a searchable format and requires individual downloads of data from each year (see "Campaign Files" under the File Transfer Page). Snopes' comprehensive review of candidate contributions from Wexner to Husted's campaign committee, "Jon Husted for Ohio," from 2001 to 2019 found a total of $61,000. 

Here's the list of donations from 2001 to 2019: 

Donations to Husted-DeWine gubernatorial campaign 

An additional search for DeWine's and Wexner's names on the Ohio secretary of state website returned a $13,700 donation in 2022 to Mike DeWine for Ohio and $13,292.35 to Dewine Husted for Ohio, the campaign's transition fund, in 2020. (Ohioans first elected DeWine and Husted as the state's governor and lieutenant governor in 2018 and then again in 2022.) 

TiffinOhio.net also reported on a 2018 contribution from Wexner to the DeWine Husted Transition Team, which was not included in "Campaign Files." However, the reporter on the story, Dave Miller, shared a link to a different section of the Ohio secretary of state website that showed Wexner donated $10,000 to DeWine and Husted's transition in 2018 (see "Rows 901 - 915 of 935"). 

In other words, around $37,000 out of the $116,892 total went to both Husted and DeWine, not Husted alone.

Donations connected to Husted 

Searches for Wexner's last name in connection to Husted's financial records also revealed a $1,000 donation to Husted's state lawmaker campaign in 2004 from "NEW ALBANY PAC (ASSOCIATED WITH LESLIE WEXNER)." 

It's possible that other political action committees associated with Wexner also donated to Husted — this was simply the only one labeled as such. 

Snopes' review of Husted's donations also determined that Wexner's wife, Abigail Wexner, separately donated tens of thousands of dollars to Husted over the course of his career in elected office. 

In sum … 

Wexner directly donated at least $76,400 to Husted's state lawmaker campaigns from 2001 to 2023 and $3,500 to Husted as a U.S. senator. He also donated $36,992 to DeWine and Husted's gubernatorial campaign. If you include the amount Wexner donated to DeWine and Husted's gubernatorial runs, in total Wexner donated at least $116,892 to Husted — the same number TiffinOhio.net reported. 

That number doesn't include money donated from political action committees connected to Wexner, nor money Wexner's wife donated.