Bard College president named over 2,000 times in emails and documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein
The documents also show Epstein visiting the private liberal arts college in Dutchess County multiple times for meetings and events.
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New local connections are emerging in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Federal records show Leon Botstein, the longtime president of Bard College, was named more than 2,000 times in emails and documents tied to the disgraced financier and late convicted sex offender.
The documents also show Epstein visiting the private liberal arts college in Dutchess County multiple times for meetings and events.
One entry described an invitation to a private after-party at Botstein's home in 2013, with young women invited by an Epstein associate to accompany him, reportedly told to bring their IDs.
Another email shows Botstein making plans to travel to Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In a letter sent out this week to the Bard community, Botstein acknowledged accepting donations, meeting with him several times over a six-year period and travelling to the Virgin Islands where Epstein was present.
He wrote that his "interactions with Epstein were always and only for the sole purpose of soliciting donations."
Botstein goes on to claim "when it became apparent Epstein was not going to become a major fundraiser," their "contact became more sporadic."
What his statement does not mention is the invitation to the after-party at his home documented in the federal files.
Bard College professor emeritus of history Gennady Shkliarevsky is calling for Botstein to step down.
"I find the explanations that he provided in several venues are unsatisfactory," he says. "It does not explain all the episodes he does not explain why he maintained a connection to Epstein after the conviction."
Botstein says he regrets the connection and expressed sympathy for Epstein's victims.
In a statement to News 12, a spokesman for Bard College said that Jeffrey Epstein wasn't a friend of Botstein and that he didn't even like Epstein.
They added that "presidents travel frequently to engage potential donors and that was the sole purpose of the trip."
