Wexner rips supremacists, Trump’s words

L Brands founder and Chairman Leslie H. Wexner has joined the list of business leaders condemning the white supremacists who demonstrated in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12 and President Donald Trump’s response to them.

On Thursday, Wexner spoke to nearly 700 L Brands employees, who heard his remarks either in person or via videoconference.

Wexner said that he chose to speak out after enduring “a couple of sleepless nights.”

“The events that happened in Charlottesville and the Wexner response of the president just was shocking to me,” he said. “This is terrible behavior

from a leader.”

Wexner was referring to President Trump’s insistence that “there is blame on both sides” for the deadly violence, appearing to equate the actions of whitesupremacist groups and those protesting them.

Not knowing what to do in response to the situation, “personally, I feel dirty, ashamed,” Wexner said.

But during those sleepless nights, Wexner said he wandered into his home library, where he came across a quote by 18th century political thinker Edmund Burke. It reads: “All that’s necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

“I’d like to think I’m a good man,” Wexner said. “I’d like to think that I work with good men and women. I felt uncomfortable being critical, and yet I felt very compelled to speak out.”

After noting the condemnations of racism by the leaders of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, Wexner told L Brands employees: “When it comes to political leaders and political parties, I’m not going to support anybody unless they send me a note and tell me they’re going to behave civilly. I’ve just had it.

“The question is, what do I do? I’m going to speak out. Speak out to groups like this, to leadership groups. I’m going to be supportive of other leaders like the chairman of Wal-Mart and other businesses that I think do the right thing.

“I would encourage everybody to follow their own conscience, but do something.”