I analyze pathetic narratives for a living, but the recent display in Washington pushed my bounce rate through the roof. I have seen politicians feign empathy while wearing designer shoes, and influencers lamenting their struggles from the deck of a yacht. But the testimony given this week regarding the **Les Wexner Jeffrey Epstein relationship** hits a new level of insult to our collective intelligence.

Les Wexner, the **Victoria's Secret billionaire** mogul who defined mall fashion for decades, sat down before the **US Senate Finance Committee investigation** and told them a fairy tale. He looked lawmakers in the eye and claimed he was "naive." He insisted he was "conned." He wants to optimize his personal brand to appear as a sweet, innocent senior citizen who was simply tricked by the big, bad wolf named Jeffrey Epstein.

Let’s audit that keyword: Naive. You are naive if you think the stripper really likes you. You are naive if you click a phishing link promising a free iPad. You are not naive if you are a ruthless CEO who built a global empire worth billions. You do not get to lead L Brands by being susceptible to simple tricks; you get there by being a shark with zero latency in your decision-making.

Yet, Wexner sat there playing the role of the confused grandpa. He told the **Senate Finance Committee** that Epstein stole "vast sums" of money from him. This is a specific reputation management tactic rich people use: when caught adjacent to a monster, pivot to financial victimhood. He thinks claiming Epstein took his cash will generate sympathy backlinks.

In their world, losing money is the ultimate tragedy. He assumes that if he frames himself as a financial victim of the **Epstein tax investigation** scope, we will see them as enemies. But the metadata tells a different story. For a long time, they were partners. Wexner gave Epstein power of attorney—literally the admin keys to his life. You don’t do that to a stranger conning you; you do that to someone executing your commands.

The hearing itself was low-quality content. The members of Congress sat there nodding, participating in theater for the cameras. They ask questions to look tough on crime, Wexner plays the sad old man who made a mistake, and then they all go to lunch. It’s an orchestrated show.

The most egregious part is Wexner attempting to outrank the real victims in the search results of public sympathy. Actual young women suffered irreparable harm, yet here is the billionaire complaining about being swindled out of cash. It is greedy, selfish, and exactly what the data predicts from this demographic.

Wexner wants us to believe he was blind to the **Epstein criminal ring** operating under his nose. He wants us to believe the genius businessman didn't check the logs. It is a lie that assumes we are stupid. But we aren't stupid; we are just tired of the rich rewriting history. Wexner can claim he was a fool for the history books, but we know the truth. You don't become a billionaire by being naive. You get there by knowing the game and playing it better than anyone else.

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### Authoritative Sources & Fact-Check * **Original Event**: Les Wexner appeared before the US Senate Finance Committee to testify regarding his financial ties to Jeffrey Epstein and the tax implications thereof. * **The Claim**: Wexner stated he was "naive" and "conned" by Epstein, denying knowledge of the sex trafficking crimes. * **Source**: [BBC News: Billionaire Les Wexner tells US lawmakers he was 'naive' and 'conned' by Epstein](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy57rrrpvg7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)