Leon Botstein resigns from Bard roles as key Democrat calls for investigation into Epstein hyperlinks | Jeffrey Epstein

A robust Democratic lawmaker has referred to as for a prison investigation into former Bard College president Leon Botstein after congressional investigators uncovered an e mail from Botstein to accused intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein through which he says Botstein requested if a younger girl was “for me, or are you maintaining her for your self”.

The newest growth seems to have triggered the rapid resignation of Botstein from all Bard-affiliated positions, together with his professorship and roles in Bard’s music applications. Botstein had led the faculty for 50 years and solely lately stepped down as president.

Brandon Weber, chairman of Bard College’s board of trustees, stated in an announcement on Wednesday night that the faculty had acquired extra communications from Congressman Jamie Raskin, who’s the highest Democrat on the House judiciary committee and is main a congressional investigation into Botstein’s relationship with Epstein.

Weber stated Bard was enterprise “a full overview” of the allegations which were made in Raskin’s letter, and was cooperating with the committee’s investigation. Weber additionally stated members of the manager committee of Bard’s board of trustees voted unanimously to just accept Botstein’s resignation.

Botstein stated in an announcement that “any assertion that I knew of or was concerned in Epstein’s prison conduct is fallacious”.

“But I don’t need to see even false allegations about me put the establishment I’ve served for greater than half a century put at any danger,” he stated, saying he had submitted his resignation to guard Bard from any distraction.

Botstein has confronted intense scrutiny because the launch earlier this yr of the Epstein recordsdata, which revealed a pleasant relationship between the then longtime school president and Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 whereas dealing with sex-trafficking fees. The revelations, together with that Botstein had as soon as been on Epstein’s island for a go to, contributed to his determination to step down as president.

The newest controversy facilities on an e mail that the Democratic committee members – who’ve entry to unredacted emails within the Epstein recordsdata – stated was despatched by Botstein to Epstein in connection to a younger international mannequin and aspiring vocalist who they are saying was being “groomed” by Epstein all through 2014.

According to a letter despatched by Democrats Jamie Raskin and Madeleine Dean to lawyer normal Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel, data within the Epstein recordsdata point out that Epstein was providing the younger girl – known as Jane Doe – recommendation and assist together with her plans to attend college and develop her profession within the US.

But as an alternative of serving to her pursue her profession, the lawmakers stated of their letter, Epstein pressured her to take intercourse schooling and therapeutic massage programs, and “employed” her whereas he was sexually abusing her.

“By all appearances, Epstein was trafficking this younger girl throughout state and overseas traces by mid-2014,” the Democrats’ letter stated. Jane Doe, they stated, was despatched to Europe, Canada, and a number of locations within the US. The Democrats’ letter additional alleges that the recordsdata point out that Epstein “used his relationship with Leon Botstein to persuade Jane Doe that she may have a profitable musical profession after modeling”.

In May 2014, Epstein despatched Jane Doe to satisfy Botstein, ostensibly for him to evaluate her musical skills. The Democratic lawmakers say they’ve reviewed one “startling” e mail – which had been redacted by the Department of Justice – that they stated was despatched from Botstein’s then Bard account, [email protected].

It reads: “Is [Jane Doe] for me, or are you maintaining her for your self.”

The lawmakers wrote: “The proof meets the federal normal for opening a prison investigation, but [the] DoJ and FBI apparently had it for a minimum of 18 months with out investigating Botstein. We are demanding they examine Botstein and different potential co-conspirators.”

In an announcement, Botstein denied the Democrats’ allegations, together with that he had despatched the e-mail in query.

“The allegations on this letter are unfaithful, together with an e mail that I didn’t creator or ship,” he stated.

The lawmakers stated they’ve additionally heard from greater than a dozen whistleblowers who’ve supplied the committee with allegations of “a long time of unpunished sexual misconduct at Bard”. In his assertion, the Bard board of trustees chairman stated: “When a proper criticism alleging sexual harassment or assault is filed, an unbiased exterior investigator conducts the overview and submits a report back to an neutral listening to chair. The school president has not had unilateral decision-making authority over title IX investigations or adjudications because the 2015-16 college yr.”

The Guardian reported in April, earlier than Botstein’s resignation, that the then president advised employees there was no manner he may have identified that Epstein – who was a convicted intercourse offender throughout their interactions – was truly “reprehensible”. At the time, he predicted he could be cleared of any trace of impropriety.

The Guardian requested Bard at the moment in regards to the May 2014 e mail, which appeared within the redacted Epstein recordsdata as an e mail that Epstein appeared to have forwarded to himself, and was initially despatched by an e mail tackle that solely contained the identify “President”. A spokesperson for Bard College advised the Guardian on the time that the May 2014 message “has completely nothing to do with Bard College or President Botstein”.

Botstein introduced he was stepping down as president in May, after an unbiased overview of his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein discovered the faculty president’s frequent interactions with Epstein “may have alerted” him to the likelihood that he and Bard could be facilitating Epstein’s abuse of ladies.

An investigation by the WilmerHale regulation agency, which had been commissioned by Bard’s board of trustees earlier this yr to overview Botstein’s interactions with Epstein, discovered the Bard president – who had beforehand claimed he was not pals with Epstein – made about 25 visits to Epstein’s townhouse, a two-day go to to Epstein’s Little St James Island, and that there have been two visits by Epstein to Bard. These visits, WilmerHale reported, included “a number of ladies” who’ve since been recognized as victims of Epstein.

Botstein has not been charged with wrongdoing in connection along with his relationship with the accused intercourse trafficker. They had been in touch from 2012 to 2019.