UNDER SCRUTINY

Nomination for Biden’s Top Science Adviser Held Up Over Epstein Ties

Mathematician and geneticist Eric Lander denies having any substantial relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

President Joe Biden wants to nominate Eric Lander to become his top science advisor but the process has been delayed due to Lander’s past meetings with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Politico reports. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) says she wants more clarity on the history between Epstein and Lander, the director of the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard who has been tapped to become director of the Office of Science and Technology. The White House has acknowledged Lander met with Epstein twice in 2012, including at what Lander said was an “informal sandwich lunch” at a Harvard colleague’s office, but he denied any further relationship.

A 2019 BuzzFeed investigation found photos of the pair at the meeting, which happened four years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution involving an underage girl. Epstein’s website also made claims that he financially supported Lander’s work, which Lander says is untrue.