Sleuth Report: Greg Conners Connects Michigan’s Senate Race to Epstein’s Interlochen Access
In Michigan, Epstein, and You. August 4th, Greg Conners, Xanthé, and Resistance Kitty connect Michigan’s August 4, 2026 Senate primary with renewed scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein’s decades long relationship with the Interlochen Center for the Arts.
The report argues that Michigan voters should ask Senate candidates Haley Stevens, Abdul El Sayed, and Mike Rogers what they will do to release Epstein records, investigate institutional failures, and review campaign donations connected to people in Epstein’s orbit.
The article’s most important contribution is its focus on Interlochen. Epstein first attended the Michigan arts camp as a teenager. He later returned as a donor, funded a lodge on the campus, paid tuition expenses, and used the property while accompanied by Ghislaine Maxwell. At least two women have said they first encountered Epstein at Interlochen while they were teenagers. (gregconners.substack.com)
The Michigan Senate Primary Creates a Moment for Accountability
Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary is scheduled for August 4, 2026. Following Mallory McMorrow’s withdrawal, the major Democratic contest is between Representative Haley Stevens and former Detroit health director Abdul El Sayed.
The Democratic nominee is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers in the November election. Rogers has received Donald Trump’s endorsement and is widely treated as the likely Republican nominee. However, the article’s statement that Republicans are running Rogers without a primary vote should be treated cautiously because ballot sources have identified at least one other declared Republican candidate during the election cycle. (AP News)
Conners argues that the Epstein records should become a direct campaign issue. Rather than allowing candidates to speak generally about transparency, he proposes asking whether they will support complete file disclosure, contempt proceedings against officials who unlawfully withhold records, donor reviews, and the return of questionable contributions.
That is a reasonable accountability framework. A candidate’s answer does not establish guilt or innocence. It does show whether the candidate is willing to support document preservation, institutional investigation, and public access.
Michigan Lawmakers Have Requested an Interlochen Investigation
In April 2026, Michigan Representative Penelope Tsernoglou and lawmakers from both parties introduced House Resolution 284.
The resolution called for a special Michigan House committee to investigate Interlochen’s historical relationship with Epstein and allegations of abuse connected to the institution.
The proposed six member committee would be evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. It would have authority to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses, examine records, and request documents from state agencies and other relevant organizations.
Tsernoglou said lawmakers needed answers about how much freedom Epstein received on campus and whether his donations gave him unsupervised access to children.
The resolution itself does not establish that Interlochen employees knowingly enabled abuse. It establishes that lawmakers found the available evidence serious enough to justify an investigation with subpoena authority. (Michigan House Democrats)
Epstein Attended Interlochen as a Teenager
Jeffrey Epstein attended what was then called the National Music Camp at Interlochen in 1967.
Greg Conners describes Epstein as a bassoonist in the student orchestra. Archival material reportedly places the fourteen year old Epstein within an Interlochen ensemble, although he was also known to play piano.
Publicly available records do not clearly establish who paid Epstein’s tuition or whether his attendance was fully funded by a scholarship.
That distinction matters because the article later examines how Epstein used scholarships and tuition payments when approaching other young musicians. His own student history may have helped him present himself as an alumnus who understood the ambitions and financial pressures of arts students.
A 1980 Letter Shows Interlochen Cultivating Epstein
Conners highlights a September 18, 1980 letter from Interlochen development official George C. Benson to Epstein.
The letter followed Epstein’s expression of interest in Interlochen. Benson sent Epstein a performance schedule and invited him to visit the campus.
The correspondence can be reviewed through EFTA00102982. It also appears within a larger Interlochen production file beginning with EFTA00102702.
This is significant because Interlochen has publicly described Epstein as a donor from 1990 through 2003. The 1980 letter shows that the institution’s development staff was cultivating his interest approximately ten years earlier.
However, the letter does not prove that Epstein made a financial donation in 1980. It documents institutional outreach, cultural access, and an invitation to deepen his relationship with the school. The evidence therefore supports describing 1980 as the beginning of documented cultivation, not necessarily the beginning of confirmed donations. (Epstein Data)
Epstein Donated More Than $400,000
Interlochen has acknowledged that Epstein donated more than $400,000 between 1990 and 2003.
Approximately $200,000 helped fund a cabin originally known as the Jeffrey E. Epstein Scholarship Lodge. The property was later renamed Green Lake Lodge after the institution severed ties with Epstein.
Additional correspondence concerning Interlochen, donor records, the lodge, and Epstein’s institutional relationship appears in EFTA01265496.
Epstein’s donations also reportedly supported tuition for students and visits by prominent performers. Records and reporting indicate that he flew violinist Itzhak Perlman to the campus on his private aircraft.
These actions elevated Epstein from ordinary alumnus to important benefactor. His money gave him a recognized place within the institution and provided a legitimate explanation for returning to a campus filled with talented minors. (AP News)
The Lodge Gave Epstein a Base on Campus
The lodge is central to the Interlochen story.
Epstein and Maxwell stayed there during visits to the school. Former administrators and survivors have described them walking through the campus and approaching students.
Interlochen stated that its policies did not permit unsupervised contact between donors and students. Yet survivor accounts indicate that Epstein and Maxwell were able to meet and question young students without meaningful supervision.
The existence of a formal policy does not establish that the policy was followed in practice. That gap is one of the most important issues raised by the proposed Michigan investigation.
The lodge created more than donor recognition. It gave Epstein a physical base inside an institution serving children and teenagers. (WSMH2)
A Survivor Said She Met Epstein at Interlochen at Age Thirteen
A 2020 civil complaint filed under the name Jane Doe alleges that Epstein and Maxwell approached the survivor at Interlochen in 1994.
Jane Doe was thirteen years old and studying voice. According to the complaint, she was sitting alone on a bench between classes when Epstein and Maxwell approached her.
Epstein presented himself as a patron of the arts who provided scholarships to talented students. He and Maxwell questioned the girl about her family, her living situation, and her background.
Epstein then requested her mother’s telephone number. Jane Doe said she felt unable to refuse.
Several weeks after she returned to Florida, Epstein contacted her family. He portrayed himself as a mentor and offered educational and artistic support. The complaint alleges that this relationship developed into years of grooming, control, and sexual abuse.
Jane Doe’s allegations were also discussed during Maxwell’s federal criminal trial. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for helping Epstein recruit and groom underage girls.
The complaint is an allegation filed in civil court, but significant portions of Jane Doe’s account were later presented under oath during Maxwell’s trial. (Courthouse News)
A Second Woman Described Manipulation and Control
Recent reporting has identified another woman who said she encountered Epstein and Maxwell at Interlochen when she was fourteen.
According to NPR reporting summarized by EpsteinWiki, the woman described a relationship involving manipulation, financial influence, and an abuse of power.
The survivor accounts show why Epstein’s philanthropy cannot be evaluated only by counting donations.
Money for tuition, artistic training, travel, and mentorship could create gratitude and dependency. Epstein could then threaten to withdraw support or suggest that a young person’s future depended on maintaining the relationship.
This pattern appears repeatedly in survivor testimony involving education and career opportunities. (EPSTEIN WIKI)
Epstein Used Scholarships as an Access Strategy
Conners argues that Epstein’s scholarship offers were part of a larger grooming strategy.
The available evidence supports that concern.
Epstein offered financial assistance to young musicians and their families. He presented himself as a mentor with connections to prestigious institutions and influential people.
Educational support could make a family view him as generous and trustworthy. It could also allow him to gather personal information about a student’s ambitions, finances, family structure, and vulnerabilities.
Jane Doe alleged that Epstein continued paying for voice lessons and later suggested that her future depended on him. Other survivors have similarly described educational assistance being used to create dependence and control.
This does not mean every scholarship Epstein funded was connected to abuse. It does mean that financial assistance was one of the methods he used to gain credibility and leverage around young people. (The Guardian)
Some Donations Were Connected to Les Wexner’s Foundation
Conners notes that some Interlochen funding was routed through entities associated with Les Wexner.
This is relevant because Epstein exercised unusually broad authority over Wexner’s finances and philanthropy during parts of their relationship.
The fact that a payment came through a Wexner related foundation does not by itself prove that Wexner knew how Epstein used his access at Interlochen.
It does show that Epstein’s institutional influence was sometimes supported by financial structures connected to a much wealthier patron. That relationship helped Epstein present himself as a major philanthropist even when the ultimate origin and control of the money required closer examination.
Interlochen Removed Epstein’s Name After His Conviction
Interlochen says it cut ties with Epstein after learning of his 2008 conviction.
The school removed donor recognition associated with him and renamed the Jeffrey E. Epstein Scholarship Lodge as Green Lake Lodge.
Interlochen conducted internal record reviews after the conviction and again after Epstein’s 2019 arrest. The school said those reviews found no internal complaint or report involving Epstein.
The absence of an internal complaint does not establish that misconduct did not occur. Survivors may not have reported their experiences to the school, records may have been incomplete, or staff may not have recognized the significance of the contact at the time.
Interlochen has also said it cooperated with prosecutors and journalists and encouraged anyone affected by Epstein or other abuse within the community to come forward. (WSMH2)
Interlochen Ordered the Lodge Demolished
In May 2026, Interlochen’s board approved demolition of Green Lake Lodge.
The institution said the building had developed associations that did not reflect its values.
Interlochen also announced an outside investigation into historical misconduct reports and invited Epstein accusers to speak with an independent investigator.
The decision to demolish the lodge has symbolic importance. However, removing a building does not answer the central questions.
The unresolved issues concern donor access, staff supervision, visitor records, student contact, tuition payments, internal communications, and what administrators knew during Epstein’s visits.
Demolition should not become a substitute for records preservation or public accountability. (AP News)
The Political Claims Require Careful Separation
The article connects Interlochen accountability to the Michigan Senate election.
Haley Stevens has voted to release Epstein records and has publicly supported additional action concerning Epstein transparency.
Abdul El Sayed has repeatedly raised Epstein and Donald Trump during his campaign. His statements about Trump are campaign advocacy and should not be treated as independent factual findings.
The Michigan Democratic Party has criticized Mike Rogers for earlier silence about releasing the files. It also attacked him over a reported $12,000 campaign donation from a Florida billionaire who faced charges connected to a prostitution investigation.
Those claims come from partisan political organizations and campaign reporting. They should be attributed rather than presented as neutral investigative conclusions.
No evidence presented in Conners’s article establishes that Rogers, Stevens, or El Sayed participated in Epstein’s crimes or in an institutional cover up at Interlochen. (Michigan Democratic Party)
Questions Michigan Candidates Should Answer
Michigan voters have a legitimate basis for asking every Senate candidate the same questions.
Will the candidate support the complete release of all legally releasable Epstein records?
Will the candidate support preservation orders protecting documents from deletion or alteration?
Will the candidate support contempt proceedings when officials unlawfully refuse congressional demands?
Will the candidate publish a review of major donors with documented Epstein relationships?
Will the candidate support investigations of institutions that accepted Epstein’s money while providing him access to young people?
These questions focus on future conduct rather than guilt by association.
Key Takeaways
First, Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with Interlochen began as a teenage camper and later became a major donor relationship.
Second, a 1980 letter shows Interlochen development staff cultivating Epstein’s interest approximately ten years before the school’s acknowledged donor period began.
Third, the 1980 correspondence does not prove that Epstein donated money that year.
Fourth, Epstein donated more than $400,000 to Interlochen between 1990 and 2003.
Fifth, approximately $200,000 helped fund a lodge that Epstein and Maxwell used during campus visits.
Sixth, Jane Doe alleged that Epstein and Maxwell approached her at Interlochen when she was thirteen and used scholarships and mentorship claims to gain access to her family.
Seventh, another woman has described meeting Epstein at Interlochen at age fourteen and later experiencing manipulation and an abuse of power.
Eighth, Michigan lawmakers introduced a bipartisan resolution seeking a committee with subpoena authority to investigate Interlochen’s relationship with Epstein.
Ninth, Interlochen approved demolition of the former Epstein lodge and initiated an outside review.
Tenth, no reviewed evidence proves that Interlochen staff knowingly participated in Epstein’s abuse, but substantial questions remain about donor access, supervision, and institutional oversight.
Fact Check
Greg Conners correctly identifies the August 4, 2026 Michigan primary as an important political opportunity to question candidates about Epstein transparency.
Current reporting confirms that Haley Stevens and Abdul El Sayed are the two major candidates remaining in the Democratic Senate primary.
Mike Rogers is the expected Republican nominee, although the claim that he is running without any Republican primary vote should not be presented as conclusively established without checking the final certified ballot.
The claim that Epstein attended Interlochen in 1967 is confirmed.
The claim that he was an acknowledged Interlochen donor from 1990 through 2003 is confirmed.
The 1980 letter confirms that Interlochen was cultivating Epstein’s interest at that time. It does not confirm a donation in 1980.
The claim that Epstein donated more than $400,000 is supported by Interlochen and Associated Press reporting.
The claim that approximately $200,000 helped build the lodge is supported.
The claim that Jane Doe met Epstein and Maxwell at Interlochen at age thirteen comes from her civil complaint and later sworn testimony.
Interlochen says its internal reviews found no reports of Epstein misconduct in its records. That finding does not disprove survivor testimony.
No reviewed evidence establishes that any Michigan Senate candidate participated in Epstein’s crimes or an Interlochen cover up.
Epstein Data Evidence
- EFTA00102982, September 1980 Interlochen Correspondence
- EFTA00102702, Larger Interlochen Production File
- EFTA01265496, Interlochen Correspondence and Lodge Records
- Epstein Data Search for Interlochen Records
Source List
- Michigan, Epstein, and You. August 4th
- EpsteinWiki Report on Survivors Recruited at Interlochen
- Michigan House Resolution Request Concerning Interlochen
- Associated Press Report on the Interlochen Lodge
- Michigan Report on Jane Doe and Interlochen
- Jane Doe Civil Complaint
- Interlochen Lodge Demolition Report
- Michigan Senate Primary Reporting
- Michigan Democratic Party Statement Concerning Mike Rogers
- Haley Stevens Statement on Epstein File Disclosure