Democrats have officially started identifying individuals whose names were previously hidden in the official Jeffrey Epstein files, the Telegraph reports. This move comes as frustration grows within the House Judiciary Committee regarding the lack of action from federal authorities. Leon Botstein, the former president of Bard College, is the first significant figure to be named in this new push for accountability.
The situation unfolded after Jamie Raskin, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Bard College. This correspondence directly linked Botstein to several emails found within the tranche of documents relating to the Epstein investigation. One specific email from May 2014, which was attributed to Botstein, contained a troubling inquiry to Epstein regarding a young woman. The author asked if the woman was “for me, or are you keeping her for yourself”.
While Botstein was not named in the public version of these files, the unredacted documents reviewed by Democrats show the email address used was “[email protected]”. This matches the time when Botstein was serving as the president of the college. Raskin alleged that the woman mentioned in the email, referred to as Jane Doe, was being “groomed” by Epstein at the time. The letter to the university claimed that Botstein “likely enabled and possibly even participated in” the abuse carried out by the late billionaire.
Botstein has denied these claims
In a statement, he said that “any assertion that I knew of or was involved in Epstein’s criminal behaviour is wrong”. Despite these denials, he decided to resign from his remaining academic posts at Bard College on Wednesday. He noted that he did “not want to see even false allegations about me put the institution I have served for more than half a century put at any risk”.
This follows his decision to step down as the college president back in May after a university-commissioned inquiry into his connections to Epstein. Brandon Weber, the chairman of the board of trustees, confirmed that he received additional details from Raskin regarding the extent of these ties. There are nearly 1,000 emails in the files released by the US Department of Justice that mention Botstein, suggesting a close relationship between the two men.
The young woman involved in the May 2014 email was a foreign model. She had been lured into Epstein’s orbit with promises of help for her education and career in the US. Instead of receiving support, the committee alleges she was pressured into sex education and massage courses while being sexually abused. The Democrats stated in their letter, “By all appearances, Epstein was trafficking this young woman across state and international lines by mid-2014”.
This development is part of a larger effort by Democrats to address what they perceive as a failure by the FBI to pursue those connected to Epstein. Raskin expressed his disappointment in a letter to Kash Patel, the head of the FBI, noting that the bureau has insisted there is insufficient evidence to investigate these co-conspirators.
Raskin argued that the files “indicate the existence of possible co-conspirators clearly worthy of further investigation and potential prosecution”. He has called for the FBI to investigate Botstein and others, while also demanding the unredaction of all non-victim names in the files. Raskin further remarked, “Congress should not have to continue to do your job for you,” while indicating that senior Democrats have “no confidence” in Patel’s willingness to pursue these associates.
A separate group on the House Oversight Committee has already invited seven individuals to provide closed-door testimony regarding their connections to Epstein. This group includes high-profile names such as Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Leon Black.
Published: Oct 11, 2026 01:53 pm