Columbia University professor resigns over friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

WASHINGTON

The head of Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute has announced that he is resigning after the release of government documents illustrated his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Dr. Richard Axel, a Nobel laureate, apologized for what he called "a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret," as well as "compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues."

"What has emerged about Epstein’s appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable," Axel wrote in a statement published Tuesday.

The latest tranche of government records related to Epstein released by the Justice Department (DOJ) show Axel frequently visited Epstein at his Manhattan mansion.

Columbia said in a statement that it "has seen no evidence that Dr. Axel violated any University policy or the law."

"However, Dr. Axel made clear that in light of this past association, and the continued fallout from the release of DOJ files, he felt it appropriate to relinquish his position as co-director," it said.

"The University agrees with this decision, while at the same time recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the University and his dedication to his colleagues, to his students, and to science," it added.

In addition to leaving the Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Axel is also stepping down from his role as an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.