Epstein Ties Fuel Ohio Senate Race Attacks

Jeffrey Epstein-related connections and political donations are becoming campaign issues in Ohio and Arizona. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown is criticizing Republican Sen. Jon Husted for accepting about $116,000 in donations from billionaire Les Wexner, Epstein’s former financial adviser; Husted’s campaign disputes Brown’s characterization of an earlier Senate vote and points to donations Brown received from people named in Epstein-related documents. Wexner has disavowed his association with Epstein and has not been charged. In Arizona, reporting says celebrity hairstylist Frederic Fekkai, who is accused in a lawsuit of grooming and abusing Epstein’s victims, donated to Rep. Eli Crane before the files’ release; Crane’s chief of staff says Crane did not know Fekkai or his connection to Epstein and notes Crane’s donations to an anti-trafficking nonprofit. The cases reflect how Epstein’s associations and the handling of related files are being invoked in political contests, alongside calls for accountability for survivors.