Mitchell scholarship renamed after George Mitchell referenced in newly released Epstein files

George Mitchell's name first surfaced in connection with Epstein in 2019. File picture: Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The US-Ireland Alliance has removed the name of George Mitchell — the former US senator, diplomat, and architect of the Good Friday Agreement — from its prestigious scholarship programme after the release of almost three million files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s underage sex-trafficking network in which Mr Mitchell is referenced multiple times.

Yesterday, the US-Ireland Alliance issued a statement saying its board of directors had “unanimously agreed that its George J Mitchell Scholarship programme should no longer bear the former senator’s name”.

The statement added: “The decision was made due to new information that has come to light as part of the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein by the [US] department of justice on Friday, according to Trina Vargo, founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance.”

Mr Mitchell’s name first surfaced in connection with Epstein in 2019. Back then, he issued a statement denying accusations he had sex with one of Epstein’s victims. He also claimed that, during the time he knew Epstein, he had no knowledge of his actions.

Mr Mitchell was one of the contributors to Epstein’s now notorious “50th birthday book”, in which he described their friendship as a “blessing”. 

One of the newly released files includes a statement made to the FBI in 2020 from a witness who claims she was a schoolgirl when she was first assaulted by Epstein. She alleges she was also trafficked to the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles and the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington DC to have sex with Mr Mitchell.

In the eight-page statement — which includes harrowing details of intimidation and sexual assault by Epstein in New York and Florida — six paragraphs outline the allegations involving Mr Mitchell.

Because of redactions, it is unclear when the alleged encounters took place, but it appears it was before Epstein’s highly controversial plea deal in July 2008, under which he pleaded guilty to Florida state charges of soliciting underage sex in order to avoid far more serious federal charges of trafficking minors for sex, which carry a potential life sentence.

The Mitchell scholarship programme was founded in 1998 by Trina Vargo, a former foreign policy adviser to Ted Kennedy, who had pressured former US president Bill Clinton to become involved in resolving the 30-year conflict that had claimed thousands of lives.

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The negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement were chaired by Mr Mitchell, delivering a rare foreign policy triumph for the US.

Mr Mitchell had no executive involvement with the Mitchell scholarship programme, nor was he involved in the selection of participants. Despite its modest funding, the scholarship became an extremely competitive programme. 

Several participants have turned down Rhodes scholarship offers in favour of becoming a Mitchell scholar. The programme’s intake is currently paused because of funding issues.