Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers resigned from OpenAI’s board and took leave from Harvard University on Wednesday, days after emails revealed he maintained close contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein years after his conviction.
Summers announced his departure following intense scrutiny over correspondence the House Oversight Committee released last week showing ongoing communication with Epstein through 2019.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” Summers said in a statement Monday. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
The emails showed friendly exchanges between the two men from 2013 to 2019, including instances where Epstein appeared to offer romantic advice. Epstein even referred to himself as Summers’ “wing man.”
Harvard spokesman confirmed the university is conducting a review of individuals connected to the newly released documents. Summers will not complete the semester and will not teach next semester, his spokesperson said Wednesday evening.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called on institutions to cut ties with Summers, saying he “cannot be trusted to advise our nation’s politicians, policymakers, and institutions — or teach a generation of students.”
OpenAI’s board said it respected Summers’ decision to resign, thanking him for his contributions. He had joined the board in November 2023 during a period of upheaval at the artificial intelligence company.
The Center for American Progress, Yale’s Budget Lab, Bloomberg TV, and The New York Times have all severed ties with Summers. The Times announced it will not renew his contract as a contributing opinion writer.
Epstein entered a guilty plea in 2008 on Florida state charges related to soliciting prostitution from a minor. He died, reportedly by suicide, in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Summers served as Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton from 1999 to 2001 and was director of the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama. He was Harvard’s president from 2001 to 2006.
No Epstein survivor has accused Summers of wrongdoing, and no public evidence suggests he participated in Epstein’s crimes.
Congress passed a bipartisan bill Tuesday ordering the Justice Department to release all files on Epstein. Trump reversed his earlier opposition to the measure when it became clear that GOP lawmakers were overwhelmingly going to back it. Trump signed it into law the following day.
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