Ex-Harvard president Larry Summers steps away from public duties after Epstein files reveal ‘close relationship’

Lawrence ‘Larry’ Summers served as United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001. From 2001 to 2006, he served as the president of Harvard University.

In the newly released emails under the Epstein files, years of correspondence between the two were revealed last week. Furthermore, some of the emails included Summers making sexist comments and seeking romantic advice from the sex offender.

The trove included messages indicating Summers sought relationship advice in 2019 from the disgraced financier.

Also Read | When is the US House vote Tuesday to release the Epstein files? Here’s the latest

‘Deeply ashamed’

In his first statement since the release of the emails, the former treasury secretary said he was “deeply ashamed.”

“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers said.

“While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,” he added further.

Pressure on Harvard to cut ties

Summers’ announcement comes after many, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, called on the Ivy League university to cut ties with the former US treasury secretary over his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking to CNN, Elizabeth Warren, who is also a former Harvard Law school professor, stated that Summers “cannot be trusted” due to his relationship with Epstein.

“For decades, Larry Summers has demonstrated his attraction to serving the wealthy and well-connected, but his willingness to cozy up to a convicted sex offender demonstrates monumentally bad judgment. If he had so little ability to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein even after all that was publicly known about Epstein’s sex offenses involving underage girls, then Summers cannot be trusted to advise our nation’s politicians, policymakers, and institutions — or teach a generation of students at Harvard or anywhere else,” Warren told CNN.