U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN) and Jon Husted (R-OH) listen as Monique Chireau Wubbenhorst speaks during a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine safety concerns surrounding abortion medication, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
A Republican Senator from Ohio voted to block the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files after receiving a campaign donation from one of the convicted sex criminal's co-conspirators, according to a report.
Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) received a $3,500 donation from Leslie Wexner, the former founder of Victoria's Secret, just three months before he voted to block a Senate resolution that would have forced President Donald Trump's administration to release the files earlier than they did, TiffinOhio reported on Thursday.
Overall, Husted has taken more than $116,000 in campaign donations from Wexner at 21 different points between 2001 and 2025, according to the report, making the disgraced CEO one of Husted's longest-tenured financial supporters.
"The financial relationship spans Husted’s entire political career, from his time in the Ohio legislature through his current role as U.S. Senator," the report reads. "Campaign finance records show Husted is the only senator up for re-election in 2026 who accepted contributions from Wexner during the 2025-2026 election cycle."
The ties between Husted and Wexner were revealed at a time when the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files is receiving renewed scrutiny. Wexner's name was mentioned among six of Epstein's co-conspirators, all of whom were redacted from the latest tranche of 3 million documents.