Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers Takes Leave From Harvard Following Release of Epstein Communications

Summers' spokesperson confirmed he has not been scheduled to teach in the upcoming semester.

Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers took an unexpected leave of absence Wednesday from his teaching position at Harvard University, where he previously served as president, following the disclosure of emails revealing his friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to his spokesperson.

Amid the controversy surrounding these publicly released emails, Summers had already canceled his public engagements and earlier on Wednesday terminated his association with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. While Harvard had reinitiated an investigation into his connections with Epstein, Summers had initially indicated he would continue teaching economics at the institution.

This stance changed Wednesday evening when it was announced he would step away from both his teaching responsibilities and his position as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.

"Mr. Summers has decided it's in the best interest of the Center for him to go on leave from his role as Director as Harvard undertakes its review," stated Steven Goldberg, Summers' spokesperson, adding that his co-instructors would complete the classes.

According to Goldberg, Summers was not scheduled to teach in the next semester.

A Harvard representative confirmed to The Associated Press that Summers had informed the university of his decision. The Harvard Crimson was the first to report on Summers' leave of absence.

While Harvard did not specifically name Summers in its announcement about reopening an investigation, the decision follows the release of emails showing his friendly communications with Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.

By Wednesday, the once highly respected economics expert faced increasing scrutiny over his decision to continue teaching. Some students recorded their surprise as he appeared before an undergraduate class on Tuesday, where he emphasized the importance of fulfilling his teaching obligations.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, stated on social media Wednesday night that Summers "cozied up to the rich and powerful — including a convicted sex offender. He cannot be trusted in positions of influence."

The released emails include messages where Summers appeared to receive advice from Epstein regarding a romantic pursuit of someone who viewed him as an "economic mentor."

"im a pretty good wing man, no?" Epstein wrote on November 30, 2018.

The following day, Summers informed Epstein he had texted the woman, telling her he "had something brief to say to her."

"Am I thanking her or being sorry re my being married. I think the former," he wrote.

Summers' wife, Elisa New, also exchanged multiple emails with Epstein, including a 2015 message thanking him for arranging financial support for a poetry project she directs. The gift he arranged "changed everything for me," she wrote.

"It really means a lot to me, all financial help aside, Jeffrey, that you are rooting for me and thinking about me," she wrote.

New, an English professor emerita at Harvard, did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

A previous review completed in 2020 discovered that Epstein visited Harvard's campus more than 40 times after his 2008 sex-crimes conviction and was provided his own office with unrestricted access to a research center he helped establish. The professor who provided the office was subsequently barred from initiating new research or advising students for at least two years.

On Tuesday, Summers appeared before his Harvard class, where he teaches "The Political Economy of Globalization" to undergraduates alongside Robert Lawrence, a professor from the Harvard Kennedy School.

"Some of you will have seen my statement of regret expressing my shame with respect to what I did in communication with Mr. Epstein and that I've said that I'm going to step back from public activities for a while. But I think it's very important to fulfill my teaching obligations," he stated.

Several students captured Summers' remarks on video, though no one publicly responded to his comments.

Epstein, who authorities reported died by suicide in 2019, was a convicted sex offender known for his connections to wealthy and influential individuals, becoming a central figure in outrage and conspiracy theories about misconduct among American elites.

Summers served as Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He was Harvard's president for five years from 2001 to 2006. When questioned about the emails last week, Summers issued a statement saying he has "great regrets in my life" and that his association with Epstein was a "major error in judgment."

Other organizations confirming the termination of their affiliations with Summers included the Center for American Progress, the Center for Global Development, and the Budget Lab at Yale University. Bloomberg TV stated Summers' withdrawal from public commitments included his role as a paid contributor, and the New York Times indicated it would not renew his contract as a contributing opinion writer.