Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has publicly confronted his controversial past association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, addressing the matter directly with students at Harvard University.
Classroom Confession After Email Leaks
In a candid moment captured on TikTok by a student, Professor Summers opened his Harvard class by expressing shame and regret over his communications with Epstein. This follows the release of personal emails by a House committee last week, revealing years of correspondence between the economist and the disgraced financier.
Summers told the room of students: "Some of you will have seen my statement of regret, expressing my shame, with respect to what I did in communication with Mr. Epstein." He acknowledged having planned to step back from public activities but felt it important to honour his teaching commitments.
Damning Email Evidence Revealed
According to Harvard's student newspaper, The Crimson, the email exchange continued as recently as July 5, 2019—just one day before Epstein's arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges. The correspondence shows Summers seeking Epstein's relationship advice regarding a woman he described as his mentee.
In particularly disturbing exchanges, Summers asked Epstein to help "workshop" his messages to the young woman. Epstein, who often replied within minutes, referred to himself as Summers' "wing man" in a November 2018 message. During a March 2019 exchange, Summers wrote: "She must be very confused or maybe wants to cut me off but wants professional connection a lot and so holds to it."
Professional Fallout and Investigations
The controversy has triggered significant professional consequences for Summers. He recently resigned from the OpenAI board, with the organisation stating: "Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision. We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board."
Meanwhile, Harvard University has launched a formal investigation into Summers' relationship with Epstein. Summers, who served as Harvard president until his resignation in 2006 amid previous controversies, remains a professor at the institution while the inquiry proceeds.
The TikTok video that brought the classroom address to public attention carried a caption highlighting the disturbing nature of the released emails: "And in the emails released he was asking Epstein for advice on a young woman he was coercing…… just gross."
