Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced on Monday his decision to withdraw from all public obligations, following President Donald Trump’s directive for the Justice Department to probe his and other prominent Democrats’ connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers, a professor at Harvard University and its former president, disclosed to the university’s student publication his intention to step back in order to mend relationships and rebuild trust with those closest to him. This development transpired after the U.S. House Oversight Committee disclosed numerous files linked to Epstein last week, which included personal communications between Summers and Epstein.
Expressing regret for his actions, Summers admitted to the pain caused by his interactions with Epstein and vowed to accept full responsibility for his misjudgment. While he will continue meeting his teaching responsibilities, Summers declared his decision to reduce his public commitments as part of a broader effort to rectify the situation. Summers, a member of the Democratic party, previously held roles as Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton and as the head of the National Economic Council during President Barack Obama’s tenure. Presently, he serves on the boards of OpenAI and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Neither OpenAI nor Harvard provided immediate comments on the matter, and Summers did not respond promptly. The Epstein scandal has remained a contentious issue for Trump, who has faced criticism for propagating conspiracy theories related to Epstein among his supporters. Allegations persist among many Trump supporters that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other administration officials concealed Epstein’s associations with influential individuals and obscured details surrounding his suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019. A vote in the House of Representatives is scheduled for Tuesday to decide on the release of investigative files concerning Epstein, following Trump’s reversal of his initial opposition and call for Republican support.