Emails released by Republican legislators this week have revealed a close relationship between convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. The exchanges, spanning from 2013 to early 2019, show the two men sharing personal and political views, including unseemly comments about women and admissions.
In a 2017 email, Summers wrote to Epstein: 'I’m trying to figure why [the] 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. DO NOT REPEAT THIS INSIGHT.' Summers, a former Harvard president who resigned after making sexist remarks, also discussed romantic gestures towards an unnamed woman in 2019, with Epstein responding: 'shes smart. making you pay for past errors.'
The emails were released amid a political row over Epstein's connections to Donald Trump. Democratic lawmakers released emails suggesting Epstein believed Trump knew about Ghislaine Maxwell's conduct, prompting Republicans to release a larger tranche of 20,000 emails. Trump has called for an investigation into Epstein's relationship with Summers and other Democrats.
Summers has previously stated he 'deeply regrets' contact with Epstein after his conviction. A spokesperson for Summers did not respond to a request for comment. Epstein donated over $9m to Harvard between 1998 and 2008 and was appointed a visiting fellow, despite lacking qualifications. Harvard only stopped accepting donations after his 2008 guilty plea for child sex offences.
