U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats urged the Department of Justice and FBI on Wednesday to investigate former Bard College President Leon Botstein as a potential co-conspirator in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring, citing newly revealed correspondence from 2014.
Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania pointed to an email correspondence stream released by the Justice Department in January that links Botstein directly to an aspiring musician groomed and abused by Epstein.
House Committee Demands Federal Inquiry
Raskin and Dean informed Bard College leadership on Wednesday about the probe. The committee’s letter to Bard Board of Trustees Chair Brandon Weber also details concerns regarding Botstein’s leadership.
The lawmakers asserted that severe cases of sexual misconduct seemed to face minimal repercussions while Botstein was at the helm. The congressional members also urged federal agents to investigate billionaire investor Leon Black and retail magnate Leslie Wexner.
In their letter, the lawmakers noted that the Jeffrey Epstein saga involved many other perpetrators who abused and manipulated girls and women even when Epstein was absent, asking for assistance to ensure such events never happen again at Bard or any other campus.
Trustees Accept President’s Resignation
Following his resignation on Wednesday, members of the Executive Committee of the Bard College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept his resignation from institutional leadership.
The communication between Botstein and Epstein commenced in 2012, subsequent by a period of four years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting a minor.
Botstein had maintained prominent roles across the campus arts community, serving as artistic co-director of the Bard Music Festival, ran the graduate program The Orchestra Now, and led the American Symphony Orchestra. He resigned from those positions on Wednesday.
College Revises Financial Disclosure Policies
Federal scrutiny has also focused on Botstein’s financial ties to Epstein’s charitable organization, Gratitude America, through which Botstein accepted $150,000 for consulting work.
Botstein stated in 2023 that he donated the money as part of a $1 million contribution to Bard, though a law firm hired by the college to investigate his association was unable to verify that claim.
In response to the scandal, Bard updated its conflict-of-interest policy to require employees to disclose outside consulting work when compensation exceeds $10,000.
Botstein informed Bard earlier Wednesday that he is stepping down from his remaining positions, concluding an era for the institution amidst an expanding federal inquiry into Epstein’s network of enablers, asking for assistance to ensure such events never happen again at Bard or any other campus.
