A recent report has identified the woman whom Larry Summers sought advice about in emails to Jeffrey Epstein as Keyu Jin, a prominent economist. At the time, Jin was a 43-year-old tenured professor at the London School of Economics, a Harvard alumna, and the daughter of a top Chinese official linked to President Xi Jinping.
Throughout 2018 and 2019, Summers, who is 70 and a married former president of Harvard, shared conversations with Epstein about his interest in various women. He updated Epstein on his pursuits and referred to Jin as a “dangerous person” in their discussions, though they never directly used her name in the correspondence.
Summers even asked Epstein if the concept of “horizontal jeopardy” was something worth discussing. He mentioned, “You’re better at understanding Chinese women than you are at probability theory,” which, well, that certainly leaves room for interpretation.
In a rather bold statement, Epstein suggested that there was “zero chance” of Summers having a romantic relationship with Jin. This led to some online reactions, where people connected the situation to a historically loaded metaphor, “Yellow Peril,” which was used to evoke fears about Asian immigrants in the past.
Commenting on the exchanges, civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo called it “absolutely disgusting,” urging for Summers to resign from Harvard. Shortly after, Summers announced he would ease his commitments at the university, attempting, as he put it, to “rebuild trust.” However, it’s unclear what this will mean for his teaching role.
Jin has not responded to attempts to comment on this situation. The newly released correspondence from Epstein’s estate suggests she was never aware of any romantic interest from Summers, and it’s uncertain if she even knew he was pursuing her.
The Harvard Crimson revealed that the initial email chain discussing Jin began around late 2018. Summers acknowledged that, while he found her attractive, he was hesitant to pursue anything further, perhaps reflecting on the consequences and how it might be perceived.
By December 2018, his mood shifted. He expressed both heartbreak and a sense of relief about not proceeding with a relationship, fearing that he might fall into a regrettable situation.
They later touched on Jin’s father, Likun Jin, who has significant ties to the Chinese government. Summers had some familiarity with him and mentioned feeling flattered by the connection.
However, by March 2019, Summers noticed a change, suggesting that Jin appeared interested in someone else. He noted, “Unfortunately, I think she’s tired of this. Secrets are hard to maintain.” This sentiment seems to hint at a certain vulnerability in their exchanges.
Summers has faced scrutiny before regarding his behavior toward women, specifically his comments on workplace dynamics and gender disparities back when he was still Harvard’s president. Even after the federal investigation into Epstein began, their emails continued, showing how intertwined their professional lives had been.
Interestingly, the day before Epstein’s arrest, Summers and Epstein had a light-hearted exchange that included references to literature, as if life was carrying on as usual. But of course, the reality was much different—Epstein was taken into custody the very next day and later died while awaiting trial.
Following the resurfacing of these communications, an upcoming discussion featuring Summers, organized by the New York Economic Club, has been postponed, highlighting just how serious the implications of these revelations are.
