Judiciary Democrats Expand Investigation Into How Epstein Leveraged Ties to Universities to Further His Crimes and Lure Victims

Ranking Member Raskin Sends Letters to Harvard and Bard Seeking Information on How Epstein Used Relationships Within Prestigious Academic Institutions to Burnish His Reputation and Lure New Victims Amid Concerns Universities Failed to Fully Investigate or Address His Influence

Washington, D.C. (June 17, 2026)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a pair of letters to the leaders of Harvard University and Bard Collegeexpanding the Committee’s investigation into how Jeffrey Epstein used his relationships with prominent universities to expand his sex trafficking operation. Evidence indicates Epstein leveraged his relationships with universities and their faculty to traffic vulnerable young women and continually burnish his reputation and public image to avoid detection.

Prior university internal investigations failed to fully uncover or address the extent of Epstein’s influence and the role these institutional relationships may have played in enabling his ongoing abuse.

Today’s letters follow Raskin’s initial requests to the presidents of New York University (NYU)and Columbia University for their assistance in uncovering how Epstein similarly wielded his ties with the universities to further his criminal enterprise.

Harvard University

In a letter to Harvard President Dr. Alan Garber, Ranking Member Raskin details evidence that Epstein maintained wide-ranging relationships with Harvard faculty and leadership over decades, and funneled millions of dollars to the university, including after his 2008 criminal conviction. According to the letter, Epstein:

• Donated millions of dollars to Harvard programs and research, sometimes indirectly through associates;
• Maintained close relationships with numerous professors and administrators, including Harvard’s former president;
• Retained access to campus facilities and academic programs, including having his own private office for years after his conviction;
• Met repeatedly with faculty members, sometimes accompanied by young women;
• Sought to influence admissions decisions and mentor applicants, including by drafting recommendation letters for prospective students and asking faculty to weigh in on applications.

Harvard’s prior internal investigations failed to uncover the full scope of these activities and may have omitted key facts regarding Epstein’s continued involvement with the university after 2008.

“I am thus hoping that you will work with the Committee to help us understand Harvard’s failure to fully investigate the extent of Jeffrey Epstein’s influence over Harvard students, faculty, and admissions, and to analyze how Mr. Epstein manipulated relationships with renowned members of Harvard’s academic community to sanitize and shield his reputation while simultaneously advancing different parts of his predatory criminal enterprise. This is an assessment we are undertaking with respect to multiple institutions of higher education,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin in the letter to Harvard President Dr. Garber.

Ranking Member Raskin is requesting extensive records from Harvard, including the university’s communications with Epstein, documentation of donations, information related to admissions processes, and prior investigative findings.

Bard College

In a separate letter to Bard College Board Chair James Cox Chambers, Ranking Member Raskin outlines evidence that Epstein developed close personal and financial ties with Bard leadership, including its president, Dr. Leon Botstein. For example, Epstein: 

• Donated funds directly and indirectly to Bard and its affiliated programs and leaders; 
• Maintained frequent personal contact with Bard’s president, who planned trips to his Caribbean island, New Mexico ranch, and New York townhouse;
• Attended numerous campus events, where he apparently interacted with students, at the invitation of campus security;
• Influenced admissions decisions;
• Plotted to use Bard-affiliated programs, including its dual enrollment program in Russia, Smolny College, to facilitate contact with and trafficking of young women.

Bard recently hired the law firm WilmerHale to conduct its own investigation into communications between Dr. Botstein and Epstein. This review appears to be limited to Dr. Botstein and did not interrogate the consequences of Epstein’s involvement with Bard or the role of other Bard leaders in facilitating his access to the college. Indeed, the review’s limited findings acknowledge the possibility that Bard’s leadership may have helped legitimize Epstein or expose students to harm, but draw no meaningful conclusions on these issues and downplays Dr. Botstein’s ties to Epstein. It also makes no mention of attempts by Epstein to leverage his relationship with Dr. Botstein to traffic women through Smolny College.

“How deep did Epstein’s relationship with the school run – did other professors and school leaders fraternize with Epstein? How did the Epstein relationship affect Bard and its students? Did Mr. Epstein use the school or his relationship with Dr. Botstein or other faculty and staff members to further his sex trafficking operation? If he did, who knew about it? Did the Board know? All of these questions were apparently, and glaringly, not asked during this investigation. They are certainly not answered in the sparse three pages of findings made available to the public and the Bard community,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin in the letter to Board Chair Chambers.

Ranking Member Raskin is requesting that Bard make Dr. Botstein available for a transcribed interview and provide records related to Epstein’s donations, communications, admissions interactions, and institutional decision-making, as well as WilmerHale’s internal investigation.

Committee Democrats urge anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact Committee staff via the Whistleblower Tipline here. 

Click here to read the letter to Harvard University.

Click here to read the letter to Bard College.