The scope of revelations regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case is gargantuan and reportedly involves institutions that seemed to stand, socially and morally, at the level that the Pope does for Catholics. That is, carrying infallibility in all crises and decisions. The 3.5 million documents also reference the financier’s connections to Harvard, at least as evidenced by the data provided by the Department of Justice. It is no less significant that his relationship with one of the world’s most renowned colleges extended beyond 2008, when the bomb dropped regarding sexual crimes. This is not, of course, a direct connection, but a relationship with an NGO founded by university students. The documents serve as evidence, thus stigmatizing one of the planet’s untouchable educational organizations, albeit indirectly.
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Epstein case: The “Guardian of the Sphinx”
It was as if nothing was happening when from 2013 to 2019, with full knowledge that he was a sexual offender and a convicted one at that, Epstein annually donated 50,000 euros to Harvard, specifically to the “Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770”. This is an NGO that operates inclusively, encompassing both a social club and theatrical group, founded by Harvard students. Indeed, these specific payments crowned him “Guardian of the Sphinx” at the “Order of the Golden Sphinx” galas in New York from 2013 to 2019. Harvard, despite charges already emerging with the force and speed of an avalanche, was not deterred from sending him invitations. The last one came months before federal charges were filed for sex trafficking of minors and of course before his death by hanging in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
Moreover, the documents reveal electronic invitations that Epstein’s assistant sent to girls for the specific gala, as he wanted to sit at the most beautiful table. “Hi girls! Jeffrey would like all of you to attend the Hasty Pudding Gala on April 13th at the Plaza Hotel,” the assistant wrote in 2015, adding: “Let me know if you can come and who else we can invite to fill the 10 (with JE approval of course ;)”. In another invitation, the opportunity to “wear a fancy dress and shoes!” was advertised. Air transportation for a guest to New York was even requested, with Epstein responding: “No, have her come directly to the island“. A year before his death, he requested that his full name be listed among donors and not be anonymous, responding to an organizer’s question.
Playing gentleman with Harvard after 2013
Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with some of those regarded as patrons and star role models are shaking, and certainly the same is happening with Harvard. From the documents alone, donations totaling at least $375,000 to the organization from 2013 emerge, within six years. With Andrew Farkas, president of the “Hasty Pudding Institute,” who is considered a real estate colossus, they had a relationship that must be characterized as at least unconventional, since over more than 10 years the two men had exchanged at least 2,000 messages.
Farkas had declared himself deeply remorseful about his acquaintance with Epstein, however he emphasized that “at no time did I behave inappropriately. There is no indication of any impropriety.” Nevertheless, the donations after 2013 are indicative of the “blind eye” the college turned, and in any case, they could potentially reveal a dimension of its ethos. Farkas himself graduated in 1982 and became actively and prominently involved with Harvard. The college renamed, characteristically, the New College Theatre to “Farkas Hall” in 2011, while two years later the specific gala for the “Hasty Pudding Institute” began. The same year, the organization’s donation income increased from approximately $198,000 to nearly $1.6 million. The Institute, for its part, emphasized that it is “constantly oriented toward doing the right thing” and that it has donated to a trafficking victims support organization an amount that “far exceeds” Epstein’s donations.
Staggering amount
When Epstein was circulating as clean, he was a respectable figure for Harvard, since from 1998 to 2008 he had donated, based on a 2020 report, over $9 million. That year, moreover, he was convicted in Florida for crimes involving the exploitation of a minor for prostitution. The University reportedly did not accept money again after his conviction, however it remains connected to the NGO. Based on its announcement, it emphasized that it is reviewing its relationships with Epstein and other donors who were associated with the financier and are referenced in the new documents. He also reportedly maintained contacts with professors and major donors. Indeed, on occasions he was also a…consultant for admissions to the university.
