Crystal Dike
Former Harvard president Larry Summers has stepped back from public commitments after emails detailing his years-long contact with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were released by Congress last week.
In a statement to CBS News on Monday night, Summers said he was “deeply ashamed” of his actions and accepted responsibility for continuing to communicate with Epstein. He said he would continue his teaching duties at Harvard but would withdraw from other public engagements as part of an effort to “rebuild trust and repair relationships”.
The House Oversight Committee released more than 2,000 email threads last week showing that Summers, a former US treasury secretary, remained in contact with Epstein until the day before Epstein’s July 2019 arrest on charges of sex trafficking minors. The emails show the pair met for dinner frequently and that Epstein sought to connect Summers with global figures. In July 2018, Epstein proposed a meeting with the “president [sic] of united nations”.
In another exchange following Donald Trump’s first election victory in 2016, Summers told Epstein to “spend zero effort on anything about me with Trump”, citing concerns about Trump’s approach to conflicts of interest, his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his reaction to the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
A review by the Wall Street Journal found that Trump was mentioned in more than 1,600 of the 2,324 email threads released, though he did not send or receive any of them. Trump has said he cut ties with Epstein before the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting an underage prostitute and has denied any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, House members are expected to vote on releasing all remaining files related to Epstein. The US Department of Justice announced last week that it would investigate Epstein’s “involvement and relationship” with former President Bill Clinton and other prominent Democrats. The review follows calls from US President Donald Trump, who also urged inquiries into Summers, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and banks JP Morgan and Chase. Clinton has denied knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.
Summers served as treasury secretary under Clinton and later directed the National Economic Council under former President Barack Obama. He led Harvard University from 2001 to 2006.
The Center for American Progress, where Summers was a senior fellow, said on Monday that he is no longer affiliated with the organisation. Summers remains listed as a member of OpenAI’s board; the company has not commented on whether he will retain the position.