Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced Wednesday that he would be stepping away from his teaching role at Harvard University as administrators probe his links to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Summers had previously announced that he was taking a “step back” from public life over dozens of emails he exchanged with Epstein after his 2008 conviction.
The university confirmed Wednesday that Summers would immediately step aside from his teaching duties at Harvard University and go on leave as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
According to the Harvard Crimson, Summers’ decision comes after the Ivy League university began an internal investigation of his ties to the infamous pedophile. Summers, who previously served as the university’s president, was facing intense pressure from faculty, students and senior political figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
His leave from the Mossavar-Rahmani Center is indefinite pending the investigation’s outcome, and he will not be returning to his teaching duties either in this semester or in the spring.
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers speaking at the 2025 Dialogues for Democracy at the Rob and Melani Walton Center for Planetary Health in Tempe, Arizona
Photo: Gage Skidmore
The emails in question spanned from 2013 to July 2019, just before Epstein’s arrest. They revealed a close, confidant-like relationship where Summers sought personal advice, discussed politics, Harvard admissions, and gender dynamics, among several other other topics. Much of the conversation took place after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes.
“Did u really rearrange the weekend we were going to be together because guy number 3 was coming,” Summers wrote in one 2019 email concerning a romantic pursuit. “I dint want to be in a gift giving competition while being the friend without benefits,” he added
Epstein replied, “shes smart. making you pay for past errors,” and “ignore the daddy im going to go out with the motorcycle guy, you reacted well.. annoyed shows caring., no whining showed strentgh.”
On Monday, Summers issued a statement apologizing for his repeated contact with Epstein. “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,” he said.
He added he would “step back from all public commitments” while initially planning to continue teaching, but expanded this amid scrutiny. As part of his “step back, Summers announced that he would be resigning from a board position with OpenAI.
“In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress,” he said.
