WASHINGTON (BN24) — Former Harvard President Larry Summers said Monday he will step back from public activities after the release of congressional emails showing he continued corresponding with Jeffrey Epstein until the day before the financier was arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. The disclosures have widened scrutiny of Epstein’s network and renewed questions surrounding the powerful figures who remained in contact with him after his 2008 conviction.
Summers, who served as treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton and later led the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama, said in a statement to CBS News that he is “deeply ashamed” of the email exchanges and accepts full responsibility for what he called a “misguided decision” to stay in communication with Epstein. He said he hopes to “rebuild trust and repair relationships” with people close to him and will continue teaching at Harvard while stepping back from public-facing commitments.
According to emails released last week by the House Oversight Committee, Summers and Epstein exchanged messages over several years and met for dinners. The correspondence reveals that Epstein frequently sought to arrange introductions between Summers and influential global figures. In a July 2018 message, Epstein proposed a meeting with the “president of the United Nations,” describing the individual as “an interesting person for you,” although the identity of the figure remains unclear.
In another exchange shortly after Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory, Summers instructed Epstein to avoid drawing any attention to him within the incoming administration. He wrote that he wanted Epstein to “spend zero effort on anything about me with Trump,” citing concerns about Trump’s approach to conflicts of interest, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “proximity” to him, and Trump’s public response to the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, which Summers described as “mindless.”
House lawmakers are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to release all remaining material tied to Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019. The vote follows the Justice Department’s announcement that it will examine Epstein’s connections to Clinton and several prominent Democrats, an action taken after President Trump urged the department to broaden its inquiry. Trump also called for investigations into Summers, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and banking institutions JPMorgan and Chase.
Trump appeared in more than 1,600 of the 2,324 email threads reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, though none of the messages released last week were sent or received by him. Trump has maintained that he severed contact with Epstein before the financier’s 2008 conviction and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In a social media post following the latest disclosures, Trump asserted that Epstein “was a Democrat” and called him “the Democrats’ problem,” saying there was no reason to “waste time with Trump.”
Clinton has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Summers, who led Harvard from 2001 to 2006, has long been known to have crossed paths with Epstein, who cultivated extensive relationships across finance, academia, government, and philanthropy. A spokesperson for Summers previously told U.S. media that he “deeply regrets” maintaining contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction for soliciting an underage girl.
Summers’ involvement in public organizations has already shifted. The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington where Summers had been a senior fellow, said Monday he is no longer affiliated with the organization. Summers also remains listed as a member of OpenAI’s board, a position he took in 2023 following a failed attempt by several directors to oust the company’s chief executive, Sam Altman. OpenAI has not said whether Summers will continue serving on its board, and representatives for Summers have not commented on his future with the company.
The emails released so far mention numerous high-profile individuals across politics, business, and academia. While the records have expanded public understanding of Epstein’s communications, federal authorities have not announced new criminal inquiries based solely on the material made public by the House Oversight Committee. Despite their frequency, the messages between Epstein and Summers do not indicate criminal conduct by Summers, and investigators have not accused him of any wrongdoing.
The continued release of documents is expected to intensify political and public attention surrounding Epstein’s relationships. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said the remaining files could provide further clarity on how Epstein maintained connections to powerful figures for years despite his criminal record.
