He Ran Bard for 50 Years. Then Came the Epstein Files

Leon Botstein is stepping down after 50 years at the helm of Bard College, with an outside review finding his long-running ties to Jeffrey Epstein undermined his leadership even as they broke no laws. The 79-year-old president said on Friday that he'll leave the post on June 30 but remain at Bard as a professor and continue his work in music, including with the American Symphony Orchestra, reports the New York Times. A WilmerHale investigation commissioned by Bard detailed years of email exchanges, visits, and financial dealings between Botstein and Epstein, some continuing after Epstein's 2008 conviction.

The report said Botstein dismissed internal warnings about associating with Epstein and was not "fully accurate" in describing the relationship. Botstein has argued the connection was solely about securing donations for Bard, which has raised nearly $3 billion during his tenure and now has an endowment topping $1 billion, aided by a $500 million pledge from George Soros. Bard's board praised his decades of service and said it will soon name an interim president and begin a national search for his successor. The AP notes that, in his resignation statement, Botstein didn't mention the scrutiny around his relationship with Epstein, other than to say that he'd waited to make his announcement until after the review was wrapped up.