MAGA senator caught taking money from Epstein co-conspirator before voting to block files

Sen. John Husted, a MAGA-friendly Ohio Republican, voted against a measure to release the Jeffrey Epstein files last year, only a few months after taking a donation from a man recently named as an alleged Epstein conspirator.

On Friday, The New Republic reported on Husted's "shady" transaction, first uncovered this week by local news outlet TiffinOhio. According to campaign filings obtained from the Federal Election Commission and the office of the Ohio Secretary of State, the senator has received over $116,000 on contributions from Les Wexner throughout his decades-long career in politics, dating back to 2001.

Wexner co-founded Bath & Body Works and is credited with the nationwide expansion of the Victoria's Secret clothing and beauty chain. This week, Rep. Ro Khanna also revealed on the House floor that he was named as an unindicted co-conspirator of the late sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, alongside several other powerful men. Previous reports have uncovered a close relationship between the businessman and Esptein, with Wexner retaining the latter's services as a financial manager for two decades between 1987 and 2007. Wexner was, at one point, considered the primary client of Epstein's firm.

Husted most recently accepted a $3,500 contribution from Wexner in July, only two months before he voted against a measure to force the disclosure of the Epstein files. By November, however, the Epstein Fils Transparency Act had gained considerably more momentum, passing the House with only one "no" vote and in the Senate by unanimous consent.

Khanna read Wexner's name and others out on the House floor after calling out the Justice Department for its efforts to redact the files. Many accused the agency of hiding co-conspirators, despite its claim that it only redacted the names of Epstein victims. Khanna claimed that the names of Wexner and the others could be found in the unredacted files recently provided to members of Congress.

In the months leading up to that November vote, Husted spoke out against releasing the files, at one point telling NewsNation that Trump was avoiding the issue to focus on "trade deals" and ending the last government shutdown. Husted has also been accused in recent years of pivoting sharply from his past standing as a traditional conservative lawmaker to, as The New Republic characterized, a "steady MAGA sycophant."

Wexner has also made donations to Ohio's junior senator, Bernie Moreno, who expressed similar opposition to the disclosure of the Epstein files, accusing Democrats and the media of putting too much focus on them.

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