Larry Summers, former Harvard president, Treasury Secretary, and economist, is resigning from his Harvard teaching role and co-directorship of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at year’s end. He’s been on leave since November and won’t return, per a Harvard spokesperson—directly tied to the university’s review of recently released Epstein documents.
Epstein Ties Revealed
November’s federal file dump exposed emails showing Summers’ close, post-2008-conviction friendship with Epstein (no wrongdoing accused against Summers):
- Friendly banter: Epstein as Summers’ “wingman” in romantic pursuits, e.g., Summers venting about a woman’s coyness; Epstein advising to “ignore the daddy.”
- Offensive language: Summers used “yellow peril” (racist term) for attraction to an Asian woman, saying he’d “sacrifice lots” for her.
- Timeline: Emails continued until July 5, 2019—one day before Epstein’s arrest.
Summers expressed “deep shame” post-release, taking “full responsibility” for the contact.
Professional Fallout
- Harvard: Resignation amid probe into Epstein links (2020 review noted Summers helped launch an Epstein-pitched program).
- OpenAI: Stepped down from board shortly after emails surfaced.
- AEA: Lifetime ban from American Economic Association events/journals (framed as accepting his voluntary resignation).
In his statement, Summers called it a “difficult decision” after 50 years at Harvard, shifting to independent economic research/commentary. First reported by The Harvard Crimson; NYT confirmed details. Harvard’s ongoing Epstein investigation reviews donors and staff ties.
