Larry Summers Steps Back from Public Roles Following Epstein Revelations
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced on Monday that he is “stepping back from public commitments” after it came to light that he had frequent interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement shared with NewsNation, Summers expressed deep regret for his actions, acknowledging the distress it has caused. He said, “I take full responsibility for my poor decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
Summers, who was Treasury secretary during Bill Clinton’s presidency and served as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama, had numerous exchanges with Epstein throughout the 2010s. This information emerged from emails released last week by the House Oversight Committee.
These communications occurred after Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges related to soliciting prostitution involving a minor, for which he served a 13-month prison sentence.
While Summers plans to continue his teaching role at Harvard, where he is currently a professor, he indicated that he is stepping back from public life to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with those closest to me.”
The Hill has reached out to Harvard University for their perspective. Summers was the university’s president from 2001 to 2006 and currently holds the title of Charles W. Elliott University Professor, the highest academic rank there. He also directs the Mosavar Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Kennedy School.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has long criticized Summers, urged Harvard to sever ties with him. She stated, “Larry Summers has demonstrated a fascination with serving the wealthy and well-connected for decades, but his willingness to approach a convicted sex offender shows extremely poor judgment,” in comments made to CNN.
On the same day, Summers announced via his website that he is “no longer with” the Center for American Progress, where he was a distinguished senior fellow.
Additionally, Summers works as a paid columnist for Bloomberg News and sits on the board of directors at OpenAI. The Hill is seeking comments from both companies regarding his employment status.
Released emails reveal that Summers maintained a relationship with Epstein, discussing various topics, including global affairs and women. Notably, he has been married since 2005. For instance, in October 2017, he mentioned to Epstein that he had “observed that half of the world’s IQ is accounted for by women,” but noted that the Saudis weren’t informed of this fact, despite women being over half the global population.
Summers also commented, “I’m still trying to understand why America’s elites think that if you killed a baby by beating or abandoning it, it should have no bearing on your admission to Harvard, but you can’t work in a network or think tank if you picked up some women 10 years ago. Please don’t repeat this insight.”
Before his conviction, Epstein had donated over $9 million to Harvard between 1998 and 2008, with some contributions made even after his 2006 arrest on solicitation charges.
