Larry Summers, the Harvard University professor and former university president, said Monday night that he is “deeply ashamed” of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Speaking to CNN, Summers said he would pause all public appearances to focus on “rebuilding trust and repairing relationships,” though he will continue teaching at Harvard.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognise the pain they have caused,” Summers said, speaking to CNN. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Epstein,” he added.
Larry Summers apologises over Epstein ties
The statement comes after a House committee released emails showing years of personal communication between Summers and Epstein. These emails included Summers making “sexist remarks and asking Epstein for romantic advice.” These newly revealed exchanges have intensified scrutiny of Summers’ relationship with the convicted sex offender and have sparked calls for Harvard to take action against him.
Summers told CNN, he will continue to fulfil his teaching obligations, but 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.”
Elizabeth Warren calls for Harvard to cut ties
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, said Summers “cannot be trusted” with students because of his past connection to Epstein.
Warren criticised Summers for having a close relationship with the convicted sex offender despite being aware of his history of sexual abuse involving underage girls. “If he had so little ability to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein even after all that was publicly known about Epstein’s sex offences, then Summers cannot be trusted to advise our nation’s politicians, policymakers, and institutions, or teach a generation of students at Harvard or anywhere else,” she said, according to CNN.
Following his statement, Summers announced he will step back from public commitments. A spokesperson for the Centre for American Progress, where Summers is a senior fellow, confirmed that he will end his fellowship at the think tank.
Summers, who served as Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton and Director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama, has been one of the most influential voices in American economics for decades.
The bombshell Epstein emails
Over the weekend, the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of pages of documents from the Epstein estate, including emails between Summers and Epstein from at least 2013 to 2019. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor.
The emails show Summers and Epstein discussing everything from political news to personal relationships. In several exchanges, Summers asked for Epstein’s advice on romantic matters.
For example, in November 2018, Summers forwarded an email from a woman to Epstein to get advice on whether to respond. Epstein replied with a personal remark.
In March 2019, the two men debated over sending a note to a woman Summers was interested in, just months after the Miami Herald published a major investigative report exposing Epstein’s abuse of underage girls.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said he asked his attorney general to investigate Epstein’s connections to high-profile figures, including Summers, Clinton, and JPMorgan Chase.
