Former U.S. Treasury Secretary and one-time Harvard president Larry Summers stepped away from teaching at Harvard on Wednesday. His decision followed the release of emails showing a continued and friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex crimes. Summers also resigned from external roles, including his advisory position with OpenAI.
Harvard restarted an internal review into Summers’ association with Epstein. Until Wednesday evening, he planned to keep teaching economics and continue leading the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government. His spokesperson Steven Goldberg said Summers concluded that stepping back would help the center during the review. Co-teachers will finish his courses, and Summers was not scheduled for classes next semester.
Emails that surfaced this month showed Epstein giving personal advice to Summers, including suggestions on pursuing a romantic relationship. Summers’ wife, Elisa New, also emailed Epstein and thanked him for financial help for an academic poetry project.
Pressure grew on Summers as students recorded his class appearance on Tuesday, and critics, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, condemned his ties to Epstein. Several organizations also cut their associations with Summers as the controversy intensified.
Epstein died in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges and remained a symbol of elite corruption.
