Key Takeaways
- Larry Summers, former Harvard president, publicly apologized for his close ties with Jeffrey Epstein following a House vote to release more documents about Epstein's activities.
- In light of recent scrutiny, Summers stepped down from his role at OpenAI and distanced himself from various institutions, while vowing to continue teaching at Harvard.
- The newly released Epstein documents highlighted relationships between Epstein and multiple prominent figures in academia, revealing a network of connections that included discussions about personal and professional matters.
Former Harvard University President Larry Summers apologized for his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to release the remainder of the documents related to the convicted sex offender.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” Summers told The Boston Globe.
“I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” he said.
Summers also stepped down from OpenAI’s board amid a university review of his behavior, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In a 2018 email, Summers told Epstein he was a “very good wingman” and detailed his efforts to pursue a woman, according to Inside Higher Ed.
“Think for now I’m going nowhere with her except economics mentor,” Summers wrote to Epstein.
“When I’m reflective I think I’m dodging a bullet. There are huge ups with her but very self involved and to get her to be good probably requires more firmness than I enjoy. Think right thing is to cut off contact. Suspect she will miss it. Problem is I will too,” he wrote.
In an email to Epstein in 2017, Summers wrote that he is “trying to figure why American elite think if u murder your baby by beating and abandonment it must be irrelevant to your admission to Harvard, but hit on a few women 10 years ago and can’t work at a network or think tank.”
Summers told The Globe Monday he would scale back his public roles but continue teaching. On the same day, Sen. Elizabeth Warren urged Harvard to cut ties with him.
By Tuesday, Summers had stepped away from the Center for American Progress and Yale’s Budget Lab research center, according to The Globe.
The newly released Epstein files also mention several other prominent figures in higher education.
Alan Dershowitz, a former Harvard law professor and Epstein’s defense lawyer, appears in 153 of the released documents.
Lawrence Krauss, a physicist who taught at Arizona State University, is mentioned in at least 60 documents. He once asked Epstein for a jet ride and defended him publicly.
Further, former Baylor University President Kenneth Starr signed off friendly emails with “hugs” or “love” with Epstein, and they made social plans together.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution, served a jail sentence in Florida, and became a registered sex offender. He died in 2019 while in custody after being arrested again on sex-trafficking conspiracy charges, according to the WSJ.
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