Harvard University investigates Larry Summers over Epstein emails

Harvard University has opened a new investigation into ties that its former president Larry Summers and other members of the institution had with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesperson confirmed.

In a statement to the Harvard Crimson, the university said it was “conducting a review of information regarding individuals at Harvard included in documents recently released by Jeffrey Epstein.”

This announcement follows Summers’ earlier decision to step down from the board of directors of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

Newly released emails indicate that Summers corresponded with Epstein until the day before the financier’s arrest in 2019 for alleged sex trafficking of minors.

The BBC has contacted Summers for comment on the new Harvard review.

On Tuesday, Summers brought up the subject of his communication with Epstein to students in a class he teaches at Harvard.

“Some of you will have seen my statement of regret, expressing my shame over what I did in communicating with Mr. Epstein. And I said that I was going to withdraw from all public activity,” Summers told his students, according to a video recorded by a student.

“I think it is very important to fulfill my teaching obligations. So, with your permission, we will go ahead and talk about the material in class.”

The public fallout began after Congress last week released more than 20,000 pages of documents from the so-called Epstein files, which included several emails between Epstein and Summers.

Timestamps on the emails showed the two men had communicated until the day before Epstein’s arrest — a decade after he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.

Married with six children, Summers messaged Epstein in November 2018, apparently asking for romantic advice regarding his interest in someone he said considered him an “economics mentor.”

“I think right now I’m not going anywhere with her other than a mentor in economics,” Summers wrote in an exchange in which Epstein referred to himself as Summers’ “wingman.”

“Do I thank her or am I sorry about my marriage. I think it’s the former,” he wrote in another email.

The emails also indicated that Summers and Epstein frequently dined together, with Epstein often trying to connect Summers with high-profile global figures.

No Epstein survivor has accused Summers of misconduct, and there is no publicly available evidence indicating he was involved in any of Epstein’s crimes.

After Summers announced he was stepping down from OpenAi on Wednesday, the artificial intelligence company said it respected Summers’ decision to resign.

“We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the board,” OpenAI said.

Summers said in a statement to the BBC about the move that he was “grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the company’s potential and looking forward to following their progress.”

After the emails were shared with the public, Summers said he took “full responsibility for my erroneous decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

He added that he wanted to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”

Summers held high office under two Democratic presidents; he was secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton and director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama.

He directed Harvard from 2001 to 2006 and remains a professor there. In announcing his withdrawal from public engagements earlier Monday, he said he would continue his teaching commitments.

Following Summers’ announcement Monday, the Center for American Progress, a liberal Washington think tank of which Summers was a senior fellow, confirmed that Summers was no longer affiliated with the organization.

Summers joined the board of directors of OpenAI, which creates ChatGPT, in 2023 – following a failed attempt to oust its chief executive Sam Altman.

Both houses of Congress agreed Tuesday to pass a measure requiring the U.S. Justice Department to release its files on Epstein, paving the way for the possible release of tens of thousands of additional documents.

The bill now goes to President Donald Trump’s desk for approval. He announced his intention to sign the bill, after changing his position on the issue following pushback from his supporters.