Epstein Email Revelations Push Larry Summers Out of Public Life

As Epstein email revelations continue to reverberate across US politics, former Harvard University president Larry Summers has announced he will withdraw from public engagements after correspondence between him and Jeffrey Epstein was released by a House committee last week. The emails show that Summers, a former US treasury secretary and prominent figure in Democratic economic circles, remained in contact with the disgraced financier until the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019.

Summers said he was “deeply ashamed” of his actions, adding that he “takes full responsibility” for what he called a “misguided decision” to continue communicating with Epstein. In a statement, he said he wished to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me”.

The emails disclosed by House investigators show a lengthy period of contact between the two men, with repeated references to dinners, introductions and meetings with international political and business figures. In one message from 2018, Epstein offered to arrange a meeting with the “president of united nations”, whom he described as an “interesting person for you”. Another email from 2016 shows Summers telling Epstein to “spend zero effort on anything about me with Trump”, distancing himself in forthright language from the incoming administration.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Tuesday on a measure that would compel the release of all remaining documents linked to Epstein. If approved, the proposal would move to the Senate and ultimately require the signature of US President Donald Trump. The prospect of further disclosures has unsettled figures across government, finance and higher education, where Epstein maintained longstanding networks.

Summers, who served under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, was president of Harvard between 2001 and 2006 and remains a professor at the university. He has also stepped away from positions outside academia. The Center for American Progress, a leading Washington think tank, confirmed that he is no longer affiliated with the organisation. His status as a board member of the technology company OpenAI is now in question, with enquiries made to the firm and Summers’ representatives.

The US Department of Justice has announced it will review Epstein’s connections with a number of senior political figures, following pressure from President Trump. Those mentioned in the released emails include LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and executives at JPMorgan Chase. The bank said it regretted “any association” with Epstein and insisted it “did not help him commit his heinous acts”.

Although many high-profile names appear in the correspondence, the emails do not imply wrongdoing by Trump. He took to social media to claim Epstein was “the Democrats’ problem”, saying he had severed ties long before the financier was convicted in 2008.

Summers’ representative recently said Summers “deeply regrets being in contact with Epstein” after the 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. A review by the Wall Street Journal found that Trump was mentioned in more than 1,600 of the 2,324 email threads examined, though he did not send or receive the messages in question.

Legal specialists have noted that public access to long-sealed materials could reshape the understanding of Epstein’s influence.

Summers said he will continue teaching at Harvard but will retreat from the public sphere “as one part of my broader effort” to take responsibility for his conduct.

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