'Deeply ashamed': Harvard professor pauses public engagements over Epstein links
What's the story
Former United States Treasury Secretary and Harvard University professor Larry Summers has announced his decision to step back from public life after emails with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public. The emails were released by the House Oversight Committee and showed the professor's continued communication with Epstein, who called himself Summers' "wingman." "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused," Summers said in a statement to Politico.
Teaching commitment
Summers to continue teaching at Harvard amid controversy
"While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me," he said. He has also resigned from his position as "distinguished senior fellow" at the Center for American Progress, per The Guardian. The emails, dating from 2013 to early 2019, showed Summers and Epstein discussing personal matters like politics and relationships.
Emails
Summers joked about women's intelligence
In one letter, Summers joked about women's intelligence. "I observed that half the IQ in world was possessed by women without mentioning they are more than 51 percent of population," Summers wrote Epstein in October 2017. In another online conversation with Epstein, Summers asked for romantic advice. "I didn't want to be in a gift giving competition while being the friend without benefits," Summers wrote, adding, "She...maybe wants to cut me off but wants professional connection..and so holds to it."
Backlash intensifies
Summers faces backlash, investigation over Epstein emails
The revelations have sparked a backlash from lawmakers across the political spectrum. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized Summers for his association with Epstein, saying it showed "monumentally bad judgment." A senior official in President Donald Trump's administration also questioned why institutions still employed Summers given his ties to Epstein. This controversy has now led to an investigation ordered by Trump into Democrats and institutions linked to these emails, not solely focused on Summers.
Probe
Probe ordered by Trump
Last week, Trump instructed the Justice Department to look into Epstein's relationships with Summers, former President Bill Clinton, and other important Democrats and institutions. Attorney General Pam Bondi later announced that Jay Clayton, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, would lead the probe "with urgency and integrity." Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide.