Timing is everything in Washington — especially when campaign donations and contested votes come together. A Republican senator from Ohio is facing new scrutiny after reports that he voted to block the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s documents after receiving a campaign donation from one of his co-conspirators.Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted received a $3,500 donation from former Victoria’s Secret founder Leslie Wexner, just three months before he voted to block a Senate resolution that would have forced President Donald Trump’s administration to release the documents early, TiffinOhio reported Thursday.Overall, Husted received more than $116,000 in campaign contributions from Wexner at 21 different points between 2001 and 2025, making the disgraced CEO one of Husted’s longest-serving financial backers, the report said.“This financial relationship has continued throughout Husted’s political career, from his time in the Ohio Legislature to his current role as a U.S. Senator,” the report said. “Campaign finance records show Husted is the only senator up for re-election in 2026 to receive donations from Wexner during the 2025-2026 election cycle.”The revelation of the relationship between Husted and Wexner comes amid renewed scrutiny over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Wexner was named among six of Epstein’s co-conspirators, all of whom were removed from the latest batch of 3 million documents.
