Harvard University has announced a new investigation into former university president Larry Summers regarding his connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following the release of thousands of documents detailing their correspondence. The inquiry will also examine other university affiliates named in the documents, including Summers's wife, Elisa New.
The investigation comes as Summers resigned from the board of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT. OpenAI confirmed his departure in a statement, saying, 'Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision.' Summers has also stepped down from roles at Bloomberg, the New York Times, and the Center for American Progress.
The documents, released by a congressional oversight committee, include emails where Epstein described himself as Summers's 'wingman' and Summers sought advice on pursuing a romantic relationship with a mentee. In a statement, Summers said he was 'deeply ashamed' and would step back from public engagements while continuing to teach at Harvard.
Senator Elizabeth Warren criticised Summers, stating he displayed 'monumentally bad judgment' and should not be trusted to teach or advise the government. The investigation follows a previous Harvard report that found Epstein donated about $9 million to the university between 1998 and 2008.
