BOSTON (AP) — Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University and a one-time U.S. Treasury Secretary, has decided to step back from public commitments following the release of emails indicating his continued friendship with Jeffrey Epstein long after Epstein's conviction for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008.
Summers stated his intention to step back to 'rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,' expressing deep shame for his actions and acknowledging the pain they caused. He took full responsibility for his decision to maintain communication with Epstein.
While he did not specify what this stepping back would involve, he affirmed his commitment to continue teaching and emphasized his aim of regaining trust with those affected by his past decisions.
Subsequently, the Center for American Progress confirmed that Summers was ending his fellowship there, and Yale's Budget Lab stated he is no longer part of their advisory group.
The announcement follows comments made by President Donald Trump on social media, indicating he would request investigations into Summers' connections with Epstein, Bill Clinton, and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded by appointing a federal prosecutor to lead the inquiry.
Epstein, who had multiple influential connections, died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls. The leaked emails revealed various high-profile individuals, including Summers, stayed in touch with him after the 2008 plea. In one of the communications, Summers included a light-hearted remark about a woman's coyness, to which Epstein responded with unusual encouragement.
Summers, who served as Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001 and as Harvard's president from 2001 to 2006, faces criticism from political figures, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who argues that he should be distanced from the university due to a fundamental lapse in judgment.
Warren stated, 'For decades, Larry Summers has demonstrated his attraction to serving the wealthy and well-connected, but his willingness to cozy up to a convicted sex offender demonstrates monumentally bad judgment.'
Summers stated his intention to step back to 'rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,' expressing deep shame for his actions and acknowledging the pain they caused. He took full responsibility for his decision to maintain communication with Epstein.
While he did not specify what this stepping back would involve, he affirmed his commitment to continue teaching and emphasized his aim of regaining trust with those affected by his past decisions.
Subsequently, the Center for American Progress confirmed that Summers was ending his fellowship there, and Yale's Budget Lab stated he is no longer part of their advisory group.
The announcement follows comments made by President Donald Trump on social media, indicating he would request investigations into Summers' connections with Epstein, Bill Clinton, and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi responded by appointing a federal prosecutor to lead the inquiry.
Epstein, who had multiple influential connections, died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls. The leaked emails revealed various high-profile individuals, including Summers, stayed in touch with him after the 2008 plea. In one of the communications, Summers included a light-hearted remark about a woman's coyness, to which Epstein responded with unusual encouragement.
Summers, who served as Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001 and as Harvard's president from 2001 to 2006, faces criticism from political figures, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who argues that he should be distanced from the university due to a fundamental lapse in judgment.
Warren stated, 'For decades, Larry Summers has demonstrated his attraction to serving the wealthy and well-connected, but his willingness to cozy up to a convicted sex offender demonstrates monumentally bad judgment.'
