Wexner deposition deepens Epstein probe
Billionaire Les Wexner faces questioning from the House Oversight Committee as lawmakers widen their probe into Jeffrey Epstein’s network of associates.
Today in Congress
The House Oversight Committee is set to depose billionaire retail executive Les Wexner this morning as part of the panel’s widening investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network of enablers and benefactors. The financial ties of Wexner, a longtime associate and former documented client of Epstein—including funding the disgraced financier’s New York townhouse and maintaining a yearslong relationship—have drawn scrutiny in court filings and public reporting, and his testimony marks one of the highest-profile depositions yet in the full committee’s probe. The session, taking place in central Ohio, follows subpoenas issued in January for several Epstein associates and comes ahead of planned depositions next week with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, underscoring how the politically charged inquiry is reaching into some of the most powerful circles connected to the case. Committee Democrats plan to meet with reporters afterward.
From last night’s Sunset: Paid subscribers received a deeper reflection on how Rev. Jesse Jackson reshaped modern Democratic politics—tracing his 1984 and 1988 presidential bids, his coalition-building model and the throughline to today’s fights over voting rights and political power. In recognition of Jackson’s legacy, the piece is free to all subscribers for 24 hours.
Happenings
All times Eastern.
The House and Senate are out.
President Donald Trump will participate in a Black History Month reception at 3 p.m. in the East Room, in “signing time” at 4 p.m. in the Oval Office and a policy meeting at 4:30 p.m. in the Oval.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a press briefing at 1 p.m.
In the Know
— Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) released a new report outlining what she calls a bipartisan blueprint to modernize the Privacy Act of 1974, arguing the decades-old law hasn’t kept pace with cloud computing, data brokers, and AI. The report recommends tightening limits on how the federal government collects and shares sensitive data, updating definitions and oversight tools, and strengthening enforcement as lawmakers weigh broader privacy reforms.
— Four Chicago-area progressive congressional candidates backed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC—Robert Peters, Anthony Driver, Junaid Ahmed and Daniel Biss—blasted what they described as an AIPAC-backed dark money blitz across four Democratic primaries, accusing outside super PACs of attempting to “buy” IL-02, IL-07, IL-08 and IL-09. The groups have spent nearly $4 million on paid media so far (donor disclosures aren’t required until after the election), escalating tensions in already competitive intraparty races as Democrats work to win back the House this fall.
— Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized the Commodity Futures Trading Commission after Chair Mark Selig announced the agency would preempt state regulation of prediction markets—platforms where users trade contracts on the outcome of future events, including elections—arguing the move strips states of their authority to regulate what critics view as a form of online gambling. The Trump administration has defended the decision by asserting that prediction markets function as federally regulated derivatives products, not traditional gambling, and therefore fall under the CFTC’s jurisdiction—a rationale Warren rejects as undermining consumer protections and state oversight.
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