Former U.S. Treasurer Larry Summers has abruptly taken leave from his teaching and directorial roles at Harvard University, following the disclosure of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein long after his 2008 guilty plea.
Sudden Departure from Academic Duties
Summers' spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the renowned economist would step back from his position as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. This decision comes as Harvard undertakes a review process, though the university's announcement did not mention Summers by name.
The economic expert had initially insisted he would continue teaching his "The Political Economy of Globalization" course alongside professor Robert Lawrence, despite growing pressure. However, by Wednesday evening, Summers had completely withdrawn from his remaining three classes this semester and will not teach in the upcoming term.
Revealing Email Exchanges Surface
The controversy stems from recently released emails that depict ongoing communication between Summers and Epstein as recently as 2018. In one particularly revealing exchange from November 30, 2018, Epstein positioned himself as Summers' "wing man" regarding a romantic pursuit.
Summers subsequently consulted Epstein about how to approach a woman he described as viewing him as an "economic mentor." The correspondence shows Summers questioning whether he should "thank her or be sorry re my being married."
Further complicating matters, Summers' wife, Elisa New—an English professor emerita at Harvard—exchanged multiple emails with Epstein. In a 2015 message, she thanked him for arranging financial support for a poetry project she directs, writing that his assistance "changed everything for me."
Institutional Fallout and Student Reaction
Summers' final appearance before his undergraduate class on Tuesday was met with visible shock from students, several of whom recorded video of the event. Despite the growing scrutiny, Summers told his class he believed it was "very important to fulfill my teaching obligations," referencing his earlier statement of regret about communicating with Epstein.
The situation represents another chapter in Harvard's complicated history with Epstein. A 2020 review found the convicted sex offender had visited Harvard's campus more than 40 times after his 2008 conviction and was given office space and unrestricted access to a research center he helped establish.
Summers' departure from Harvard follows his earlier severance of ties with OpenAI on Wednesday. Other organizations that have ended affiliations with the former treasury secretary include:
- The Center for American Progress
- The Center for Global Development
- The Budget Lab at Yale University
- Bloomberg TV (as a paid contributor)
- The New York Times (will not renew his contract)
Summers served as Harvard's president from 2001 to 2006 and as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton from 1999 to 2001. When initially questioned about the emails last week, he issued a statement calling his association with Epstein a "major error in judgement" and expressing "great regrets in my life."
The Harvard Crimson first reported Summers' decision to take leave, though it remains unclear whether he will return to teaching in future semesters.
