Larry Summers Steps Back Amid Epstein Controversy

Tue Nov 18 2025 19:48:40 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Larry Summers, the former Harvard president and U.S. treasury secretary, announces he will retreat from public roles following emails revealing ongoing ties with Jeffrey Epstein, raising questions about his judgment.

Larry Summers has declared his intention to step back from public commitments after the release of emails showing his continued relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier convicted of soliciting minors. Summers expressed shame over his decision to maintain contact with Epstein, promising to focus on rebuilding trust with those closest to him. His announcement comes amid scrutiny from political figures, including President Trump, who has called for investigations into Summers' ties to Epstein. Additionally, organizations have confirmed that Summers is ending his fellowship at the Center for American Progress and is no longer part of Yale's Budget Lab advisory group.

BOSTON (AP) — Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University and U.S. treasury secretary, announced he will step back from public engagements following the release of emails that reveal his ongoing friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, even after Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

In a statement, Summers conveyed his intention to take this step to 'rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.' He expressed deep shame for his previous actions, stating, 'I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.'

Although Summers did not provide specific details about what stepping back would involve, he emphasized that he would continue his teaching role while focusing on mending personal relationships.

The Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive think tank, confirmed that Summers was terminating his fellowship there, and Yale's Budget Lab also stated he is no longer part of their advisory group.

Summers' decision follows comments from President Donald Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform, noting that he would request investigations into Summers' relationship with Epstein, as well as former President Bill Clinton and other notable figures. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently announced that she had directed a federal prosecutor to lead the investigation regarding these associations.

Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for charges related to sex trafficking and abuse of minors, had a vast network of influential associates, and many continued to correspond with him even after his legal troubles.

Emails released recently show Summers discussing personal matters with Epstein in 2019. In one email exchange, Summers writes about a conversation he had with a woman, to which Epstein responded, commenting on Summers' emotional reaction.

Reflecting on his past, Summers lamented his association with Epstein as a significant error in judgment and expressed his desire to move on from it.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard alum, has urged the university to sever ties with Summers, labeling him as untrustworthy. Citing his longstanding connections with the wealthy and influential, she condemned his decision to maintain contact with a convicted sex offender as 'monumentally bad judgment.'