Bard College President Leon Botstein Was Close With Jeffrey Epstein
Leon Botstein has said his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein were focused on raising money for Bard, but a fresh release of Justice Department documents shows the relationship sometimes extended beyond college fundraising. The records include a 2013 email from Dr. Botstein to Mr.
Epstein that ends, "Miss you." The documents detail a 2017 episode over a rare open-faced Swiss pocket watch from the 1920s. In February 2018, Richard Kahn, Mr. Epstein’s in-house accountant, asked Dr. Botstein to send $51,615 for the watch or return it. Dr. Botstein emailed Mr.
Epstein, "What would you like me to do?" and later said he could begin to pay after a personal loan came through; he sent some payments before Mr. Epstein wrote in July 2018 that no more money was necessary. Dr. Botstein has said the watch was found for Mr. Epstein and that, when Mr.