**Whitewash: How Epstein Used the Ivy League to Launder His Reputation**
As new documents shed light on Jeffrey Epstein's relationships with powerful Democrats and academics at the Ivy League, it becomes clear that his efforts to whitewash his reputation went far beyond just using money to silence victims. Epstein used his connections in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to create a network of scientists, politicians, and PR experts who worked together to amplify his philanthropic work while downplaying his history of pedophilia.
**A "Wack-a-Mole" Campaign**
The House Oversight Committee released documents showing that Epstein's team launched a deliberate campaign to push negative headlines about his crimes off the first page of Google. This effort involved creating bespoke blogs, hacking on Wikipedia pages, and promoting links about Epstein's philanthropic work in science. Emails from 2010 indicate that Epstein paid up to $40,000 for one publicist's services, which included "hacking on" Epstein's Wikipedia page to highlight his "philanthropic work" while downplaying his pedophilia.
**Harvard's Ties to Epstein**
One of the most significant connections between Epstein and the Ivy League is with Harvard University. Larry Summers, a former president of Harvard and current instructor, was one of Epstein's closest associates at the university. Emails show that Summers helped establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED) at Harvard in 2003, alongside mathematician Benedict Gross. Epstein's website claimed he had donated $30 million to the lab by 2010, although Harvard disputes this figure.
**MIT's Complicity**
MIT also has ties to Epstein through its Media Lab. Joi Ito, a former director of the lab, resigned after it was discovered that he solicited grants from Epstein for the lab. Marvin Minsky, an MIT artificial intelligence scientist, received a $100,000 grant from Epstein and accepted a $60,000 personal gift from him.
**A Network of Scientists**
Epstein's connections to scientists went far beyond just Harvard and MIT. His website promoted his support of researchers like Martin Nowak, the head of the PED at Harvard, and Seth Lloyd, an MIT quantum information scientist who accepted a $60,000 personal gift from Epstein.
**"Billionaires' Dinners"**
The Edge Group, an invite-only club for scientific lectures, hosted annual events referred to as "Billionaires' Dinners." Attendees included Ito, Minsky, and Lloyd. These gatherings were underwritten by the Epstein-funded Edge Foundation and served as a platform for Epstein to network with scientists and tech executives.
**A Legacy of Complicity**
The new documents raise questions about the complicity of academics and politicians who worked with Epstein despite his history of pedophilia. Many of these individuals, including Harvard's Larry Summers and MIT's Joi Ito, have resigned or apologized for their ties to Epstein.
However, the investigation into Epstein's relationships with the Ivy League is ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether any further actions will be taken against those who enabled his crimes.
**Key Players:**
* Jeffrey Epstein * Larry Summers (former Harvard president and instructor) * Joi Ito (former director of MIT Media Lab) * Marvin Minsky (MIT artificial intelligence scientist) * Seth Lloyd (MIT quantum information scientist) * Martin Nowak (head of the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard)
**Timeline:**
* 2003: Epstein establishes the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard with Larry Summers * 2010: Emails show that Epstein's team launched a campaign to push negative headlines off Google * 2011: Publicist recommends linking Epstein's name to prominent scientists and fixing his Wikipedia page * 2017: Epstein positions himself as a counterforce to Trump in science funding * 2019: Ito raises funds for the MIT Media Lab from Epstein just weeks before his arrest
**Sources:**
* House Oversight Committee documents * Emails released by the committee * Harvard and MIT reports on Epstein's relationships with the universities