Former Treasury Secretary Steps Back Amid Epstein Fallout
Larry Summers, the former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president, has announced he will step back from his public commitments following the release of emails revealing his continued association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Damning Email Evidence
Last week's email disclosures showed that Summers maintained friendly communications with Epstein long after the financier's 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. The correspondence, made public through legal proceedings, included a 2019 exchange where Summers discussed his interactions with a woman, writing: "I said what are you up to. She said 'I'm busy'. I said awfully coy u are."
Epstein, known for his poor spelling and grammar, responded: "you reacted well.. annoyed shows caring. , no whining showed strentgh." This exchange occurred while Epstein was awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls before his death by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019.
Summers' Response and Consequences
In a statement sent to The Harvard Crimson and other media outlets on Monday, Summers expressed deep remorse for his actions. "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," the statement read.
The former treasury secretary, who served under President Bill Clinton from 1999 to 2001 and led Harvard from 2001 to 2006, said he would step back to "rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me." However, he confirmed he would continue teaching economics courses at Harvard, where he currently serves as a professor and director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
When initially questioned about the emails last week, Summers had described his association with Epstein as a "major error in judgement" and expressed "great regrets in my life." The latest emails revealed that many in Epstein's extensive network of wealthy and influential contacts maintained relationships with him long after his criminal conviction became public knowledge.
