Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent letters Wednesday to Harvard University and Bard College demanding records related to their connections to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, arguing that internal investigations at both schools failed to fully account for the institutions’ ties to him.
Raskin wrote that the Bard board’s review “overlooked deeper institutional flaws,” according to a letter reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. He wrote separately that the results of Harvard’s 2020 investigation “were at best incomplete,” according to another letter reviewed by the Journal.
The letters ask the schools to turn over their records, including communications between Epstein and school officials, donations from Epstein or his affiliates and details from their investigations, by July 1. Raskin also asked Bard’s longtime president, Leon Botstein, to schedule a transcribed interview with the House Judiciary Committee. Representatives for Bard and Harvard said they received the letters. A Bard spokeswoman said the school is reviewing the letter. Harvard is currently conducting another review of its own into ties to Epstein.
While Epstein was best known for his connections to businessmen and politicians, he cultivated a circle of top academics that helped launder his reputation until his arrest in 2019. He used his vast fortune to infiltrate American higher education institutions by positioning himself as a major donor to scientists.
Files released by the Justice Department revealed a close relationship between Epstein and former Harvard President Larry Summers. In February, Harvard said Summers would step down from his teaching and leadership roles at the end of the academic year. A spokesman referred to prior statements from the former Treasury secretary, in which he said that he regretted his association with Epstein and was ashamed of some of his communications. MSI previously reported on Summers’ resignation amid the review of Epstein ties.
In May, Botstein said he was retiring from Bard after five decades, following a probe by law firm WilmerHale that found he pursued a relationship with Epstein over the concerns of a faculty member and hosted Epstein on campus. Botstein has previously apologized for associating with Epstein, said he was unaware of the extent of his behavior and said he met with him to fundraise for the school. He didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
In their internal probes, both Harvard and Bard flagged Epstein’s continued interactions with the schools for years after his 2008 conviction. Raskin criticized those probes as insufficient in his letters and said they left out important details. Harvard’s probe in 2020 found that the university’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics gave Epstein a keycard and passcode access to its offices years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
A memo summarizing Bard’s probe earlier this year found that Botstein solicited donations from Epstein and visited his island in 2012. Files released by the Justice Department showed that Botstein asked Epstein how he was “holding up” in 2018 after media coverage of his sex-trafficking allegations.