Former Bard College President Leon Botstein is resigning immediately from "all Bard-affiliated positions." The announcement in a letter to the college community Wednesday was made after details from a House Judiciary Committee investigation into Botstein's ties to Jeffrey Epstein were shared with the private institution.
Maryland Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, is calling on federal law enforcement to investigate Botstein as a possible co-conspirator in Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
According to the Judiciary Committee investigation, Botstein sent an email to Epstein in 2014 asking if a young woman being trafficked by Epstein was "for me, or are you keeping her for yourself." The committee said its investigation found Epstein used his relationship with the orchestral conductor to convince the unidentified victim "that she could have a successful musical career after modeling."
Botstein, who retired as president of Bard earlier this year, has maintained that his relationship with the late sex offender was solely for fundraising purposes. Botstein was mentioned thousands of times in Epstein's emails released by the Justice Department.
The committee also announced today that it was separately provided allegations by more than a dozen whistleblowers of "decades of unpunished sexual misconduct at Bard, including allegations that Botstein groped women and intervened in Title IX proceedings to protect offenders."
In a statement Wednesday, Brandon Weber, chair of the Bard College Board of Trustees, said, "The college president has not had unilateral decision-making authority over Title IX investigations or adjudications since the 2015-2016 school year."
Weber said in the statement that an independent external investigator reviews formal complaints alleging sexual harassment or assault. They then submit a report to an impartial hearing chair. The board chair said the college "maintains a fair, impartial, and accessible Title IX process," citing gender-based misconduct and sexual assault, including bystander intervention training, administered to all first-year students.
"Our message to everyone in the Bard community is simple: if you file a complaint, we will investigate it fairly, thoroughly, and with the utmost respect for your safety," Weber said in the statement.
Following Botstein's retirement from the presidency, he remained a professor and conductor at the Annandale-on-Hudson campus. He was also living in a residence on campus that was designated for him after his retirement.
Raskin first reached out to Bard's board of trustees in June to help the House Judiciary Committee expand its investigation into the school's ties to Epstein. In a letter to the board at the time, Raskin said the college's investigation after Bostein's name appeared in Epstein's emails was too narrow.
WAMC has reached out to Bard College acting president Jonathan Becker for comment.
Raskin said the evidence meets the federal standard for opening a criminal investigation.
