Bard president Leon Botstein stepping down after inquiry into his Epstein ties | Jeffrey Epstein

Leon Botstein announced his resignation from the Bard College administration after an independent review of his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein found that the college president’s frequent interactions with the convicted sex offender may have “aroused” him to the possibility that he and Bard would facilitate Epstein’s abuse of women.

An investigation by the WilmerHale law firm, which was appointed by Bard’s trustees earlier this year to examine Botstein’s interactions with Epstein, found that the Bard chairman, who previously claimed he was not friends with Epstein, made about 25 visits to Epstein’s townhouse, a two-day visit to Epstein’s Little St. James Island, and two visits from Epstein to Bard. Those visits involved “multiple women” who have since been identified as Epstein victims, WilmerHale reported.

Epstein and Botstein, who has not been charged with any crimes for his relationship with the accused sex trafficker, were in contact from 2012 to 2019.

The WilmerHale review also suggested that Botstein was warned by a senior faculty member not to associate with Epstein, whom the president was courting as a donor to the university. Wilmer Hale’s report found that instead of heeding this obvious warning, Botstein relied on the view that a “common sex offender” like Epstein could be assumed to be rehabilitated because he had served time in prison.

Wilmer Hale argued Botstein forcefully that “Bard’s need for funds is very important.”

“His view was: ‘I would take money from Satan if he would let me do God’s work,’” the report stated.

In a statement released Friday evening, Bard’s board of trustees said they received WilmerHale’s findings on April 30 and that Botstein offered his “retirement” effective June 30. In a statement, the board said it was grateful for Botstein’s five decades of service to Bard and called for an “orderly transition.”

“The concerns expressed in recent months are serious and deeply felt. We are grateful to those who have come forward to share their perspectives and recognize the importance of the questions that triggered this review and the discussions that followed,” the board said. He also shared a summary. WilmerHale’s findings.

The WilmerHale investigation raises new questions about Botstein’s financial interactions with Epstein. WilmerHale described how Botstein accepted fees as part of a consulting agreement with an Epstein institution in 2016, but did not disclose the agreement to the board because he planned to donate the funds to Bard. According to the law firm’s findings, Botstein appears to have told WilmerHale investigators that the funds were donated to Bard over the years, funneling his own and/or his wife’s contributions, and were not identified separately from Epstein.

“Therefore, the documents cannot verify the contribution of these fees to Bard for the board of directors,” the report stated.

The board said funds linked to Epstein would be directed to organizations that support survivors of sexual harm.

The WilmerHale review also noted that beyond Epstein’s frequent visits, there were many other invitations to the convicted sexual harasser to stay at Bard’s guest cottage, attend a concert by conservatory students, and visit Bard High School Early College, which were not accepted but could have “further introduced” Bard students to Epstein.

WilmerHale found: “President Botstein said he saw no risk to Bard’s reputation in pursuing Epstein or the potential risk of Bard students encountering Epstein, and that he did not think his actions could validate and legitimize Epstein to potential victims or their parents.”

The law firm added: “Chairman Botstein downplayed and did not fully accurately describe his relationship with Epstein in his public statements and statements to the Bard community.”

Botstein did not mention WilmerHale’s findings in his statement. He said he had previously informed the board that, given his 51 years of service and his upcoming eightieth birthday, he intended to retire as chairman. He said he plans to remain a faculty member, teacher and musician and will live in Finberg House on the university’s campus.