Belfast university cuts ties with former US senator over Epstein links
University says it is no longer appropriate to be linked to George Mitchell, whose name appears in files released by the US Justice Department
Queen’s University Belfast on Monday cut ties with former US senator George Mitchell over his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying it was no longer appropriate to remain associated with the key figure in the Northern Ireland peace deal.
The university said its decision followed new information on Mitchell released in the latest trove of millions of files linked to late convicted sex offender Epstein by the US Justice Department last Friday.
The university plans to remove Mitchell’s name from the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, and to remove the bust commemorating him from its campus, it said in a statement.
“While no findings of wrongdoing by Senator Mitchell have been made, the University has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name,” the university said.
Reuters could not immediately reach Mitchell for comment, and his namesake think tank, the Maine-based Mitchell Institute, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.