The head of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute is stepping down after newly released Justice Department documents revealed his past association with convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Dr. Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, announced in a Tuesday statement that he is resigning as co-director of the institute and stepping down from his role as an investigator at Columbia’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
“My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret,” Axel said.
“I apologize for compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues.
“I recognize the problems this has caused, and I will work to restore this trust.
“What has emerged about Epstein’s appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable.”
Nobel Laureate’s Long Career
Axel, 79, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2004 alongside another scientist for identifying genes in DNA that encode odorant receptors in the nose, according to the Nobel Foundation.
He has served as a professor at Columbia University for 53 years and said he will continue working at the brain institute and remain devoted to the university.
The Department of Justice released millions of Epstein-related documents on Jan. 30, including emails between Epstein and numerous individuals, Axel among them.
Columbia Responds
Columbia University issued a statement acknowledging Axel’s decision.
“The University has seen no evidence that Dr. Axel violated any University policy or the law,” the university said.
“However, Dr. Axel made clear that in light of this past association and the continued fallout from the release of DOJ files, he felt it appropriate to relinquish his position as co-director.
“The University agrees with this decision, while at the same time recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the University and his dedication to his colleagues, to his students, and to science.”
Axel will continue as a researcher and professor, the university confirmed.
Details from DOJ Documents
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor.
He served 18 months in jail and was released in 2009.
In July 2019, he was arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges and was found dead in his jail cell the following month while awaiting trial.
The DOJ documents show that Epstein invited Axel and his wife to his private “Pedophile Island” in the Caribbean, Little St. James.
Tickets were reportedly purchased for the couple to fly to St. Thomas.
A university spokesperson told the campus newspaper that Axel and his wife never traveled to Epstein’s island.
Other correspondence revealed that Axel and Epstein met and exchanged emails over the years, including in 2017.
On April 3, 2019, Epstein emailed Axel, “Dinner?”
“Cannot tonight,” Axel replied.
“Just discharged my son from hospital. Multiple seizures.
“Remember our conversation.
“I would like to see you.
“Weekend or next week.”
Broader Fallout
Axel is among several high-profile figures who have faced scrutiny or stepped down over past associations with Epstein.
Kathryn Ruemmler, general counsel for Goldman Sachs, resigned after it was revealed she corresponded with Epstein while working in the Obama White House.
Thomas Pritzker, executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels, has also faced scrutiny.
Others have faced legal consequences.
Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the United States, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
British police said on Tuesday that Mandelson had been released on bail.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was also arrested by British authorities in a misconduct investigation tied to the newly released Epstein documents.
The resignations and arrests underscore the continuing fallout from the Justice Department’s document release, which has reignited scrutiny of prominent figures who maintained ties to Epstein prior to his arrest and death.
READ MORE – Epstein Boasted of Trafficking Children to His Island for Abuse
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