NEW YORK — U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin sent letters to Harvard University and Bard College requesting information about their institutional relationships with Jeffrey Epstein. Raskin requested records related to Epstein’s donations, communications, admissions processes, and institutional decision-making from both universities, with a deadline of July 1 for a formal response.

In the letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, he stated that the university’s internal investigations in 2008 and 2019 did not fully uncover donations Epstein made after a 2008 funding ban or the extent of his relationships with faculty. “It is time for Harvard, like the rest of America, to come clean and engage in the comprehensive accounting that will allow us to learn from this nightmare, take appropriate legislative action, and make sure nothing like it ever happens again,” Raskin said.

Epstein donated more than $9 million to Harvard and affiliated programs between 1998 and 2008. From 2001 to 2006, Larry Summers served as Harvard president. In February, Harvard announced that Summers would resign from teaching at the end of the academic year. Department of Justice files showed Summers and Epstein communicated frequently about politics and women. Summers stated, “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr Epstein.”

He also sent a letter to Bard chair James Cox Chambers regarding Epstein’s exploitation of academic ties across multiple institutions. He asked Bard to make its outgoing president, Leon Botstein, available for a transcribed interview. Bard officials confirmed they will retain Botstein in an organizational role after his departure as president.

An independent review initiated by Bard found that Botstein’s relationship with Epstein did not involve illegal activity and that Botstein has never been charged with wrongdoing related to Epstein. However, a WilmerHale law firm report found that Botstein was not fully accurate in describing his relationship with Epstein to the college community. The WilmerHale report stated that Botstein did not disclose fees he accepted under a consulting agreement with an Epstein entity.