Photo: nancykennedy / iStock / Getty Images
Bard College president Leon Botstein released a letter to the college community on Wednesday addressing his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, insisting the connection was "purely transactional" and not a friendship.
"As I have said for years, engaging with Jeffrey Epstein was in service of one agenda, which was fundraising for Bard. These interactions happened over years when I invested enormous time transforming Bard's financial footing through pursuing and securing major donations for the college," Botstein wrote in the letter, according to the Daily Freeman.
Botstein's name appears more than 2,500 times in recently released Epstein files made public by the Department of Justice. The documents reveal extensive communication between Botstein and Epstein from 2012 to 2017, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In one email from May 2016, Botstein wrote to Epstein saying "I miss you," and expressed being "touched and grateful" for Epstein's support. Botstein's spokesperson David Wade characterized this as "a courteous reply to a donor and fundraising prospect, nothing more."
The relationship has sparked outrage among Bard students. According to the Times Union, many students expressed disgust at the revelations, with one 19-year-old sophomore saying, "It's so sad to see someone who we thought was on the right side supporting all of this horrible stuff."
Botstein maintains that Epstein only donated $75,000 and 66 laptops to Bard College in 2013, plus $150,000 in consulting fees from Epstein's foundation that Botstein says he donated to the college.
"My regret is that I ever felt compelled to pursue a donor who turned out to be as reprehensible as Epstein," Botstein added in his statement.
The newly released documents contradict Epstein's characterization of their relationship. In a 2012 email to a colleague, Epstein referred to Botstein as "a good buddy," and in another message described him as a "great new thinker" he had found.
Botstein has led Bard College since 1975 when he became president at just 28 years old. The college has not indicated any plans for Botstein to step down over the controversy.