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The Epstein Chronicles
Leon Botstein Resigns After Review Exposes Years of Contact and Fundraising Links to Epstein (5/4/26)
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Leon Botstein announced he would step down as president of Bard College after more than 50 years in the role, with his resignation taking effect June 30, 2026. His departure followed an internal legal review examining his relationship with Jeffrey...
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what's up everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. Over the years, we've talked about a gentleman named Leon Botstein from Bard College, and he was a fast friend of Jeffrey Epstein's. Well, according to Leon Botstein, he said that him and Epstein weren't really that close and that their relationship was exaggerated. Well, fast forward to the Epstein files being released and wouldn't you know it, Mr. Botstein was lying. So now Leon Botstein has been forced to resign from his position as the president of Bard College. So today we have an article from the Times Union talking about the resignation of Leon Botstein. Headline, Leon Botstein resigns as Bard College President. The author of this article is Nora Mishanek. Leon Botstein, the longtime leader of Bard College, announced Friday afternoon that he was stepping down as president following an internal legal review of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Should have just been honest from the very beginning. Like I've said a million times, all these people that have lied about Jeffrey Epstein and their relationship to him, I feel zero remorse when they lose their job or suffer great embarrassment they've had all these years to come forward. Did any of them go and talk to the police, to the FBI, call a survivor and say, look, I was there when you were. Is there anything I can do to help you? They never did anything like that, did they? Instead, they all tried to lie about their relationship with Epstein and keep it on the hush. So if you think I give one single damn about any of these people losing their jobs or their freedom, you got another thing coming. You might want to go and talk to that dude, Michael Tracy, because I ain't the one. After completing 51 years as the president of Bard, I'm announcing that I will be retiring from the presidency at the end of this academic year, June 30, 2026. Botstein wrote in an email to Bard faculty that was shared with the Times Union. Long time coming. I'm sorry, but I don't care. He's an old ass man. Go and enjoy your retirement. Go and iron out your balls and watch daytime tv. Whatever you do, stay away from the university. Absolute embarrassment. Botstein's resignation did not mention Epstein or refer to the Justice Department's disclosures about his ties to the convicted sex offender. Oh, of course not. Has to try and save a little bit of face, right? God forbid you have any humility. Oh well, you see, what had happened was absolute clown show. He will retire from the presidency, but said he would remain as a faculty member, teacher and musician. He also said that he will continue to operate the Bard Music Festival summerscape as well as the Bard Conservatory and will live on campus at Finberg House. Are those his decisions to make or is it up to the university? We're letting this guy just, you know, call the game. Seems to me that he's dealing from a weighted deck. In February, Bard's 25 member board of trustees hired the law firm Wilmer Hell to review Botstein's interactions with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019. According to a statement released on behalf of the trustees, the review will include all communication, financial contributions connected to Epstein and any related matters relevant to understanding these issues fully. Well, wouldn't you know it, an actual investigation. And if there was ever a real investigation launched into any of these people that were close to Epstein, then this would be the result because they all lied about it. Did anybody come out and say, look, we were homies, but I had no idea that he was, you know, a scumbag like to the level he was at. I never saw anything like that and I'm willing to speak to the FBI about it. Nobody said that, nobody stepped up. All those people that were around him, all those people that were enjoying his largess, all those people that saw those girls on a regular basis at his townhouse or on the island or in Florida or at Zorro Ranch. So please save the. And remember, we're talking about the smartest people in the room, right? Professors, business leaders, politicians. But they had no idea. A summary of Wilmer Hell's review sent to the board found that Botstein had extensive in person contacts with Epstein, including approximately 25 visits to Epstein's townhouse, a two day visit to Epstein's little St. James and a flight to the island with one such woman along with Leon Black's family. Two visits by Epstein the Bard and two various concerts and Recitals accompanied by multiple women who have since been identified as. As victims of Epstein. And multiple requests that President Botstein help such women in the form of invitations to concerts and rehearsals, visits with women and their parents, advice on their musical careers, etc. Sounds like the guy was deeply entrenched. And again, if this was a RICO investigation like it should be, Botstein would be on the list. How much money did you get from Epstein? What did you do with that money? Those were ill gotten gains. Now we have to freeze your bank account. That's how it works under normal circumstances with normal people like me or you. And that's why I get launched into orbit every time we talk about this. And the fact that there was no rico, it is unbelievable to me. The Times Union had previously reported on Epstein's visits to Bard's campus and in Annandale on the Hudson, as well as Epstein's efforts to leverage his relationship with Botstein to lure women, including musicians, into his orbit, whom Epstein later victimized. So Botstein was basically a middleman. Oh, I got this pianist. You should meet her. Oh, I got this cellist. Why don't you have her come over? Oh, I got this girl from Russia. Maybe you want her at your house. How is that not facilitating? How is that not trafficking? In my opinion, it is. And Mr. Botstein, in my opinion, knew exactly what Epstein was up to. Through a spokesman, Botstein had previously denied visiting Little St. James, where some of Epstein sex trafficking and assault crimes are believed to have occurred. Botstein has not been charged with or directly implicated in any of Epstein's crimes. That was one of several evasions or lies that the college president told the media and the Bard community about his relationship with Epstein. So if you're lying about that, what else are you lying about? That's really where I'm at. It's not difficult. You don't need to look at the, you know, Samaran cuneiform tablets to figure it out. If you're a artist, you're a artist. And if somebody tells me what they are, you better believe your boy's listening. In the wake of disclosure earlier this year about his ties to Epstein, Botstein met at least five times with members of the Bard community on campus. He held three student town halls at his home in February and March, addressed faculty in March, and spoke with operations and support staff in April. As rumors swirled about his departure, Botstein continued to insist that that he would not leave the presidency until the board had selected his replacement. Again, why is that his choice? Like, is the board At Bard not doing anything. Is the board at Bard board like, what's going on? And for those of you who are not familiar with the university, beautiful place. I mean, Annandale on the Hudson. We're talking about an elite community, right? Beautiful. And this dirty, rotten son of a bitch has his buddy Epstein hanging out, has all kinds of access to the campus. What are we at Harvard? But in a statement Friday, the board of trustees said it had not yet selected a new president. The board said it would soon announce an interim leader for the next academic year and provide details of a national search for the next permanent president. Maybe they can get Larry Summers to come over. The law firm summary criticized Botstein's failure to investigate Epstein's background as he pursued the financier for donations. According to Wilmer Hill, Botstein did so against the advice of a senior faculty member who recommended that Bard should not engage with Epstein. Now, look, not everybody in higher learning is a complete piece of. I mean, look at Dr. Stephen Delay. Dr. Delay was one of the first and most outspoken critics of his colleagues. He's a man that's Oxford trained as a philosopher and at great risk to himself and professionally, he stood up to these people, and he was one of the first to do it. A quick Internet search would have revealed not only the nature of Epstein's past crimes, but but also his lifelong status as a registered level three sex offender, who a court had found presented a high risk of reoffending, according to the summary. Let's bring him on campus. Let's give him an office. Hell, let's make him the coach of the rugby team. The summary also noted that Botstein's contact with Epstein over the course of six years could have alerted President Botstein to the possibility that. That he and Bard would be facilitating Epstein's continued abuse of women, legitimizing Epstein, or exposing Bard students to persons like Epstein. Didn't I just tell you that if this was a real investigation, Botstein would have been arrested? But of course, it wasn't a real investigation, was it? In his resignation letter, Botstein said he was proud of his fundraising efforts on behalf of the college or over the past decades. In defending his record over the past three months, he continued to say that he cultivated the connection for fundraising purposes and had no knowledge of Epstein's illicit activities. I believe it was prudent and in the best interest of Bard to wait until the Wilmer Hell review was complete to make this announcement, he wrote. Trustees said that the law firm would continue to work with the college leadership to improve its policies on vetting donors and and fundraising. The board said concerns raised in recent months have been serious and deeply felt. Well, that's nice. About time. Funds associated with Jeffrey Epstein will be directed to organizations that support survivors of sexual harm, according to the board's statement. Well, that's good too, but which ones? A lot of times that money gets donated and and goes right to executives. So much for it being a non Prof. The board did not specify how much money would be donated. Epstein gave Bard a 75, 000 donation in 2012 and 66 laptops in 2015. Botstein has previously said that Epstein connected him to billionaire private equity investor Leon Black, who donated $250,000 to the arts programs at Bard. The board is grateful to President Botstein for his five decades of service to Bard College, his countless accomplishments, and the lasting impact of his leadership. The statement reads what you mean, the lasting impact of embarrassment? Right. Because that's what Leon Botstein is, an embarrassment to himself and to Bard. So in my opinion, the this is a long time coming. And as far as Leon Botstein goes, well, there's always Clown College. All the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.