The University and College Union in Northern Ireland has urged Queen’s University Belfast to "swiftly and publicly" suspend its links with what it called "known associates" of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, naming the university's current chancellor, Hillary Clinton, and former chancellor George Mitchell.
The call follows the release of a handwritten letter from 2003 by Mr. Mitchell that described his friendship with Epstein as "a blessing," and recent congressional subpoenas issued to Mrs. Clinton and other high-profile figures seeking information about Epstein's activities. The UCU, the largest union representing university staff in Northern Ireland, said the university's leadership should suspend those links "as a precautionary measure."
The union said the role of a university chancellor is largely honorary and ambassadorial, representing the institution's activities, vision and ethos to the public. In a statement it warned that failing to dissociate from Epstein's network could cause "serious reputational damage" to QUB and have a "profoundly dire effect on student recruitment."
Mr. Mitchell served as QUB chancellor for 10 years and has a bust outside the university. The university's Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, established in 2016, bears his name. In response to the letter's release, Mr. Mitchell said the note was written in 2003, years before Epstein's 2019 prosecution in Florida, and reiterated that he had "no knowledge of Epstein's actions involving underage girls" while he knew him. His statement added that he first learned of those actions through published reports and that he had no further contact with Epstein.
Federal prosecutors charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking of minors and other crimes; he died by suicide in a New York jail that August. The publication of additional documents and the release of material by a congressional panel this year have prompted renewed scrutiny of people who had social or financial ties to Epstein.
Last month, House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, a Republican, issued subpoenas to former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, Mrs. Clinton, among eight other individuals as part of an inquiry seeking information about Epstein's business affairs. The committee said it was pursuing records after the Biden administration declined to release more federal files related to Epstein.
Mrs. Clinton was inaugurated as chancellor of Queen's University Belfast in September 2021. The university has not issued a public response to the UCU's request; the union said it had not cast aspersions on individuals but was advising caution given the nature of Epstein's crimes.
Queen's University Belfast and offices for the Clinton Foundation and George Mitchell were approached for comment. The university's leadership will face decisions about whether to formally distance the institution from named individuals and any named centres or honours associated with them, a move the UCU said was necessary to protect the institution's reputation and its ability to attract students.
The debate at QUB echoes broader questions facing institutions worldwide about how to respond when prominent donors, alumni or honorary officials are linked to individuals later accused or convicted of serious crimes. Any action by the university would involve consideration of legal, contractual and governance issues as well as potential reactions from alumni, donors and the local community.