Kerrey told NSFP he knew Epstein had been convicted of sex crimes prior to their first meeting in 2013. The two maintained contact through 2014. You can review a timeline of those communications here.

The New School Free Press continues to review documents recently released by the Department of Justice regarding Jeffrey Epstein, some of which show Epstein’s involvement with former The New School president Bob Kerrey. Tips can be sent to [email protected].

Some documents referenced in this article contain text artifacts. The artifacts, which appear as “=” in several of the quotes and linked PDFs, are remnants of the email encoding process.

Former New School President Bob Kerrey met with Jeffrey Epstein at least five times following the disgraced financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses against children, according to new records released by the Department of Justice.

Kerrey told NSFP on Feb. 15, 2026, that while he was aware of Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor prior to their first meeting, he assumed Epstein had “paid a price” for the offenses in Florida. 

“That’s not a good excuse, but it’s the only excuse I’ve got,” Kerrey said.

Three of the meetings occurred during a period in which Kerrey was working as a New School consultant, after stepping down as president emeritus on Jan. 31, 2013, according to a 2013 press release from The New School (TNS). Kerrey received $500,092 in compensation from TNS in the fiscal year ending in 2013, according to records released by ProPublica. 

Although Kerrey met with Epstein during the period in which he served as a consultant for TNS, the New School Free Press (NSFP) could not find evidence in released correspondence that the relationship impacted his role as a consultant. 

“The university has reviewed information related to former President Kerrey’s correspondence with Mr. Epstein that was included in the Department of Justice documents,” Amy Malsin, vice president of university communications, said in a statement to NSFP. “Those interactions appear to have been limited and were unrelated to the activities of The New School. We regret that any member of our community had any association with Mr. Epstein, whose crimes were reprehensible.”

Kerrey’s first confirmed meeting with Epstein occurred less than a month after his resignation as emeritus. On Feb. 22, 2013, Kerrey joined Stephen Kosslyn, former chair of the Harvard psychology department, and Ben Nelson, the founder of Minerva Project, for lunch with Epstein in New York City.

According to Kerrey, the meeting was held to discuss a potential donation by Epstein to Minerva Project, an education innovation company.

Kerrey and Epstein met again on April 23, 2013, when he joined Epstein for dinner at his garishly decorated Manhattan townhouse. Also in attendance, according to Epstein’s Google Calendar, were filmmaker Woody Allen, Allen’s wife, Soon-Yi Previn, and billionaire media mogul Mortimer Zuckerman. 

DOJ documents show that Kerrey thanked Epstein for the dinner the following morning, after Epstein wrote to him late the night before, lamenting their lack of “one on one time.” 

“Thanks for a wonderful evening,” the email from Kerrey said.

The same morning, Kerrey shared two book recommendations with Epstein: The Crimean War by Orlando Figes and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.

Kerrey’s attendance at the dinner was originally coordinated by Nily Ahmed, who worked as his personal assistant at TNS until the end of the 2013 spring semester. Ahmed did not respond to NSFP for comment.

DOJ documents dated late April and early May 2013 confirm a third meeting between the two. 

A personal schedule for Epstein lists a 9 a.m. breakfast with Kerrey on May 5, confirmed by an email sent later that day from Kerrey, in which he thanked Epstein for the meal. In the same email, Kerrey agreed to connect “the other Kerry” with Terje Rod-Larsen, the former president of the International Peace Institute (IPI). In response, Epstein copied Rod-Larsen’s email to the thread.

Rod-Larsen, who is under investigation in Norway over his ties to Epstein’s international sex trafficking operation, resigned from his position at IPI in 2020, following the revelation that the think tank had received funding from Epstein.

The date of the pair’s fourth meeting over a year later, in 2014, is unclear, but is substantiated by an email Kerrey sent on July 19, 2014, in which he wrote, “It was good being with you [Epstein] again,” and recommended he read My Promised Land by Ari Shavit. “I hope we can get together again. You are very good company !” the email from Kerrey said.

The last substantiated meeting between the two occurred on Sept. 14, 2014. Kerrey attended a lunch with Epstein, Peter Thiel, former Goldman Sachs executive lawyer Kathy Ruemmler, and Harvard Law professor Cass Sunstein at Epstein’s Upper East Side townhouse. A Sept. 15, 2014, email exchange between Kosslyn and Epstein confirmed the meeting. 

In the interview with NSFP, Kerrey maintained that the only meeting with Epstein he remembered attending was the Feb. 22, 2013 lunch to discuss the Minerva Project. 

A detailed account of communications between Bob Kerrey and Jeffrey Epstein

Kerrey was first mentioned in DOJ files in an email from Feb. 28, 2010, between Kosslyn and Epstein. In the email, Kosslyn wrote, “Trouble with New School: Kerr[e]y is out of there after this year, and it’s unclear who the new President will be.” 

The New School Free Press cannot confirm whether Kerrey knew Epstein at this time.

Kerrey and Epstein began arrangements to meet on Feb. 21, 2013 — via an email exchange between Kosslyn and a redacted address — at the request of Nelson, the founder of Minerva University, a highly selective liberal arts institution established by the Minerva Project. Kerrey went on to work for Minerva University following his departure from TNS. According to Kerrey, the meeting between him, Epstein, and Nelson was arranged to discuss a possible financial contribution to the Minerva Project.

In the email confirming the details of the lunch with Epstein the following day, Kosslyn wrote, “Ben wants to bring Senator Bob Kerrey with him. Would that be OK with JEE?”

“Jeffrey says YES to all!” the redacted address replied, “12:00 and bring along Sen. Bob Kerrey.”

Epstein requested “burgers” for lunch. 

On Feb. 27, 2013, Epstein sent Kerrey an email inquiring about his interest in meeting Bill Gates at Epstein’s home that evening.

In a reply early the following morning, Kerrey explained he had missed the message due to a hectic travel schedule, but hoped a future meeting would materialize. “I enjoyed meeting and talking to you,” Kerrey wrote at 5:50 a.m. 

A month later, on Mar. 1, 2013, Kerrey sent Epstein an email with the subject line “Better email.” In it, he shared his cellphone number with Epstein (whom he referred to as Jeff) and let him know he would be more responsive to text messages. 

In April 2013, as mentioned above, Kerrey was invited to join Epstein at his home for dinner with Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn, and Mortimer Zuckerman on April 23, confirmed via Ahmed.

In a confirmation email day-of, Lesley Groff, Epstein’s then-assistant, advises Ahmed that the meal would be casual and Epstein would likely wear jeans. The email reads, “…another quick note…Jeffrey wants Bob to know this is very informal tonight…no ties!…wear jeans if you want! (I’ll bet Jeffrey will be wearing jeans!)” 

A Google Calendar invite sent to Epstein’s email details the guest list and notes that the dinner would be prepared by a private chef. 

Later that night, Epstein sent an email to Kerrey expressing an interest in meeting again.

The next morning, Kerrey responded in agreement and recommended several books to Epstein at his request: “give me the name of the book that has currently been able to capture your obviously wide interest,” Epstein wrote.

On April 27, 2013, Groff emailed Ahmed to arrange a breakfast between the two in early May, first suggesting May 2 or 3, to which Ahmed declined, reporting that Kerrey would be out of town. Groff then followed up with an alternate date, May 5, and Ahmed replied that Kerrey would likely be available then. 

Breakfast with Kerrey was the first item on Epstein’s schedule for May 5, 2013. At 11:30 a.m. that day, Kerrey followed up with Epstein in an email, thanking him for the meal. “It was great being with you. If you can get me Terry’s contact information, I will try to get the other Kerry to reach out to him,” he wrote.

The next day, Epstein replied to Kerrey with Rod-Larsen copied on the thread.

On May 28, 2013, Groff wrote to Kerrey personally, inquiring about his interest in attending a lunch Epstein was organizing with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, on June 4. Kerrey replied that he was likely free, and forwarded the invitation to his new secretary, Natia Kolotashvili, who confirmed with Groff that Kerrey would be available for lunch at noon. 

On the morning of June 4, 2013, Groff responded to an email from Kolotashvili, informing her that Kerrey had sent a personal note to Groff, explaining that he would no longer be able to attend the (now 1:30 p.m.) lunch. Kolotashvili replied to Groff, confirming that Kerrey would indeed not be attending, but expressed a desire for Epstein, Barak, and Kerrey to meet in the near future.

Epstein reached out to Kerrey by email on July 22, 2013, inquiring about his summer and extending an invitation to join him in New Mexico in August. The next day, Kerrey responded, informing Epstein he would be in New York City for most of the following month and would likely be unable to visit him.

Also on July 22, 2013, Kerrey was mentioned in an email from a redacted source who wanted to meet with him to discuss The New School’s writing program. “I sent him an email, today, . lets see,” Epstein wrote.

On July 26, 2013, Kerrey was mentioned in emails between Epstein and the late Roger Schank, an AI researcher at Northwestern University who maintained a decades-long relationship with the financier. Schank wrote to Epstein asking what he thought about Kerrey, to which Epstein said, “i like kerry alot. as you know he lost part of his leg in vietnam, and when i asked him about his wife, he said, as soon as i met her she swept me off my foot. from that moment i knew.” 

When Schank followed up asking what it was he had gleaned from his time with Kerrey in regard to Minerva University, Epstein replied, “he and kosslyn are only init for the money nu?”

On July 30, 2013, Epstein received a LinkedIn notification that Kerrey had accepted his request to connect.

Kerrey was contacted by Groff on Aug. 22, 2013, who inquired about his availability for a dinner with Bard College President Leon Botstein. Kerrey answered, saying that he would not be able to come as he was on Shelter Island. 

In Sept. 2013, an email from a redacted address asked for Kerrey’s contact, as Epstein had directed them to find out if Kerrey would be in New York from Sept. 20-22. 

Communications between Epstein and Kerrey continued into 2014. 

On July 19, 2014, nearly a year after the pair’s last confirmed meeting, Kerrey contacted Epstein to say that it had been good to “be with him again.” As mentioned above, Kerrey also recommended that Epstein read Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land. Epstein replied in the early hours of July 20, inviting Kerrey to Santa Fe and offering to send a plane to pick him up if he was in Aspen.  

Kerrey also appears in a document from Sept. 2014, labeled “People to See.” Other notable figures appear on the list, including Palantir Technologies co-founder Peter Thiel, Harvard economist Larry Summers, real estate billionaire Andrew Farkas, and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Bill Burns.

On Sept. 2, 2014, Groff emailed Kerrey to inquire about his availability on Sept. 14th for brunch with Peter Thiel, former Goldman Sachs executive Kathy Ruemmler, and Harvard Law professor Cass Sunstein.

Jennifer Hill, Kerrey’s scheduler at the time, confirmed that Kerrey would be there on Sept. 14th, which would be the last substantiated meeting between the two. 

In an email to Kosslyn sent in the early hours of the following morning, Epstein confirmed the meeting with Kerrey the previous day. “met with =errey,  too used to not being questioned properly,” Epstein said in the email exchange with Kosslyn. In a 9 a.m. follow-up email, Epstein wrote, “he tried to describe minerva to cass =unstein,  total fluff.” 

In the final communication NSFP was able to find on the DOJ website, Kerrey and Epstein discussed a meeting Kerrey had with Boris Nikolic, former chief advisor for science and technology to Bill Gates, and Nikolic’s “fund.” When Epstein asked Kerrey about his thoughts on Nikolic and the “fund,” Kerrey wrote that he didn’t know if Nikolic and his team could “separate the leaders who can take a great idea and make it profitable from those who cannot.” 
Kerrey resigned from his position as board chairman at Monolith, a Nebraskan clean energy startup, in February of this year — citing the negative press around his meetings with Epstein.