Former Harvard President and Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced he plans to resign from his position at the university amid growing scrutiny over his ties to convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers said he would retire from his professorship at the end of the academic year.
“I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago,” he said in a statement to the Harvard Crimson.
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Summers also resigned from his position as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. He’s held the position since 2011.
“Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor, I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues,” Summers said.
He has been on leave from his teaching position since November, as the university investigates links between staff members and Epstein.
Connection to Epstein
Summers’ connection to Epstein has been long documented. However, new documents released by the U.S. Justice Department last year show the two men were closer than the public realized.
He’s since been accused of participating in Epstein’s alleged criminal enterprise, and documents show the two communicated as recently as 2019, one day before Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking minors.
In a previous statement, Summers expressed shame over his actions.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” he said. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
Accountability
Summers is just one of numerous Americans who have stepped down or been forced out of positions due to connections to Epstein.
None of those individuals, however, are facing criminal charges. That response differs from Europe, where numerous individuals have been arrested and charged.
