Former Nebraska Gov. Bob Kerrey resigns from Monolith board after Epstein ties discovered

OMAHA, Neb. —

Former Nebraska Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey resigned from a local company's board after an alleged connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

Kerrey served as board chair for Monolith, a Lincoln-based energy company. He told KETV that he submitted his resignation on Friday.

Files released by the Department of Justice show Kerrey emailed with Epstein in 2013 and 2014.

He said he resigned to help avoid any impact on the company's work.

KETV has not been made aware of any criminal allegations against Kerrey.

Kerrey said he believes in the work Monolith is doing, calling his resignation a necessary step.

"We're producing carbon black at a much, much cleaner and more efficient fashion than anybody in the world. So it's an essential ingredient for American manufacturers of tires," Kerrey said. "I'm very excited about it. I just don't want to do anything to mess it up. "

Kerrey's name appears several times in the Epstein files, but many of the documents are conversations between third parties trying to coordinate schedules. That includes a meeting in February 2013, which Kerrey said he did attend.

"I met with him in 2013 as an honorable request that came from the CEO and the provost of a start-up, the university that I was working with," Kerrey said.

According to the Associated Press, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18 in 2008.

*KETV: *"Were you aware of those charges in 2008 before you took this meeting with him?"

Kerrey: "I was aware that he, that he was charged, that he pled guilty, and that he did time. That's all I knew. There's enough detail now that I know, particularly coming out of the files. Another and other witnesses, that if I, if I could roll the tape back, I wouldn't take the meeting. And I know that if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have taken that meeting."

KETV: "Outside of that February meeting, did you ever meet with him again?"

Kerrey: "To my best recollection, no, but I really haven't checked my records to find out if there was another meeting."

DOJ files show Kerrey was invited to a meeting in March 2013, but he declined saying he had a family vacation.

The files also show other alleged correspondence between Kerrey and Epstein throughout 2013 and 2014, and several other attempts to schedule possible meetings.

Kerrey said he did not have a personal relationship with Epstein.

"I know what I did, I know what I didn't do. And by the way, the Department of Justice wants to investigate me; let them investigate me. I'm OK with that," Kerrey said.

Kerrey told KETV the DOJ investigation and the focus of Americans needs to be centered around the victims and prosecuting those accused of crimes in the files.

"This is not a victimless crime. There are real victims, women who were girls at the time, children at the time," Kerrey said. "The Department of Justice, that's where they need to put their attention. And I hope the American people do as well."

KETV did reach out to Monolith on Tuesday morning, but has not heard back.

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