Former Harvard University President Larry Summers announced Wednesday that he will step away from teaching duties and key leadership roles at the institution, just days after newly-released emails revealed his correspondence with the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Summers, 70, who also served as U.S. Treasury Secretary under former President Bill Clinton from 1999 to 2001, issued a statement Monday expressing profound remorse. “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” he told The Harvard Crimson.
His email exchanges with Epstein — which spanned at least seven years, up to July 5, 2019, the day before Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges — included Summers seeking Epstein’s advice on pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a “mentee.” In one email, Epstein referred to himself as Summers’ “wing man,” according to the Crimson.
The university launched a new investigation Wednesday into Summers and other Epstein-linked affiliates, building on a 2020 review of the financier’s donations. “The University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted,” a university spokesperson told ABC News.
In a video shared on social media, Summers addressed stunned students in a Harvard class on Wednesday. “Some of you will have seen my statement of regret, expressing my shame with respect to what I did in communication with Mr. Epstein, and that I’ve said that I’m going to step back from public activity,” he said. “… I think it’s very important to fulfill my teaching obligations. So with your permission, we’re going to go forward and talk about the material in the class.”
In addition to his role at Harvard, Summers was also a paid columnist at Bloomberg News and served on the board of directors at OpenAI. On Wednesday, Summers announced he would resign from the OpenAI board, telling Politico that he is “grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress.” He is also expected to step back from his role at Bloomberg, the outlet reported Tuesday.
Summers’ announcement follows a vote from the House Oversight Committee last week to release nearly 20,000 pages of emails involving Epstein, including messages indicating Summers sought relationship advice from Epstein in 2019.
No Epstein survivor has accused Summers of wrongdoing, and there is no public evidence linking him to the financier’s alleged abuse of potentially hundreds of women and girls. Epstein, who died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial, had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Despite initial opposition from President Donald Trump and some Republican lawmakers, the Epstein Files Transparency Act overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 427-1 on Tuesday afternoon, with Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., being the only vote against the measure. Hours later, the U.S. Senate agreed with unanimous consent to pass the bill, sending it to the president’s desk.
The bill, which was authored by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., would force the U.S. Department of Justice to release all files related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender. Trump has signaled his willingness to sign the bill, despite formerly dismissing ongoing concerns about Epstein and his sex trafficking network that involved powerful figures internationally.
The university launched a new investigation Wednesday into Summers and other Epstein-linked affiliates, building on a 2020 review of the financier’s donations. “The University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted,” a university spokesperson told ABC News.
