Bard School has launched an “impartial evaluation” of its president’s ties to the late convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein after newly launched emails from the Division of Justice revealed shut hyperlinks between the 2.
The liberal arts faculty in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, made the announcement in a press release from its board of trustees on Thursday. The board stated it had retained the skin regulation agency WilmerHale to evaluation the e-mail correspondence. The New York Instances reported that Dr. Leon Botstein, the school’s president since 1975, had lengthy maintained that his relationship with Epstein was strictly philanthropic, aimed toward securing a large donation to bolster Bard’s flagging funds. Nonetheless, among the many thousands and thousands of emails launched in January had been messages suggesting they shared a private relationship.
The Instances Union, an Albany-based newspaper, reported on Thursday that Botstein wrote in a single quoted electronic mail that he valued his “new friendship” with Epstein, ending a 2013 message with “Miss you.” The emails additionally present that Botstein visited Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse steadily and on no less than one event, Epstein flew his helicopter to the Hudson Valley to see Botstein, touchdown on Bard’s campus, accompanied by girls.
In 2017, the 2 appeared to collaborate on the acquisition of a uncommon Swiss pocket watch from the Twenties, solely to later specific confusion over who owned it and who was answerable for paying for it. In one other revelation from the most recent batch of emails, Epstein related filmmaker Woody Allen and his spouse, Quickly-Yi Previn, with Botstein after considered one of their daughters expressed curiosity in attending Bard. In an electronic mail, the household thanked Epstein for “getting Bechet into Bard,” although a spokesperson for Botstein instructed the Instances that their daughter was admitted on benefit alone.
The Instances Union additionally reported that Botstein’s workplace organized a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012. He didn’t reply to press requests for touch upon the day the report was printed. Final week, nevertheless, he issued a campus-wide message apologizing for his relationship with Epstein, calling him a “really evil man”.
On Friday, Botstein launched a press release defending his actions. “As I’ve stated for years, participating with Jeffrey Epstein was in service of 1 agenda, which was fund-raising for Bard,” he stated. “These interactions occurred over years after I invested monumental time reworking Bard’s monetary footing by pursuing and securing main donations for the school.”
Bard’s board chair, James Cox Chambers, didn’t reply to press inquiries on Friday. Previous to the most recent revelations, the board had maintained its assist for Botstein, crediting his fundraising prowess with serving to to safe Bard’s stability at a time when comparable liberal arts schools in america have struggled to remain afloat.
In line with the board, the impartial evaluation will decide “the complete scope of those communications, monetary contributions related to Epstein, and any associated issues related to completely understanding these points,” including that the retained regulation agency would additionally advocate modifications to donor vetting insurance policies and competing pursuits.
“The board is dedicated to sharing the outcomes and speaking how we’ll transfer ahead as a group,” the assertion stated.
