Harvard to investigate Larry Summers’s Epstein ties as he exits OpenAI board | Larry Summers
Harvard is set to launch a new investigation into former university president and Bill Clinton economic adviser Larry Summers over his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and it has also been revealed that Summers has resigned from the board of OpenAI.
The move comes after Summers said he would step back from public events after emails revealed the extent of his relationship with the sex offender.
Harvard spokesperson confirmed Harvard Crimson On Tuesday night, it was reported that a new investigation had been launched into Summers’ connections to the person accused of child sex trafficking. The investigation will also examine other university-affiliated entities named in the documents, including Summers’ wife and about a dozen individuals.
“The university is reviewing information about individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted,” Harvard spokesman Jonathan Swain told the student newspaper.
Separately, artificial intelligence company Open AI said in a statement that Summers resigned from the company’s board of directors. “Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors and we respect his decision,” the company said. Summers confirmed the decision in a separate statement. axios reported news.
Summers, who served as Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary, resigned or was dismissed from positions at Bloomberg and the New York Times, as well as other organizations including the Center for American Progress think tank.
Harvard’s investigation into Summers comes about a week after a congressional oversight committee released nearly 23,000 documents related to Epstein, including dozens of correspondence with public figures, including Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz and Summers’ wife, Elisa New, an English professor.
In conversations between Epstein and Summers, he appears to ask the disgraced financier for advice on seeking a romantic relationship with a woman he describes as a mentee. Epstein described himself as Summers’ “wingman” in a 2018 message.
On Monday, Summers announced he would retire from public life following the release of the documents by the committee. “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and aware of the pain they have caused,” he said in a statement.
“I take full responsibility for my ill-advised decision to continue to communicate with Mr. Epstein. I will step back from public commitments as part of my broader efforts to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me, while continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations.”
In other emails, New discussed his projects with Epstein and requested money, including a potential $500,000 gift to Poetry in America, a television show and digital initiative he runs.
“All financial aid aside, Jeffrey, it really means a lot to me that you support me and think of me,” New wrote in December 2015.
Harvard’s investigation into Summers comes after the university released its earlier report on his ties to Epstein and revealed that Epstein donated nearly $9 million to the school between 1998 and 2008.
you had harvard launched an investigation The university’s ties to Epstein were revealed the month after he died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges related to sex trafficking of minors. Lawrence Bacow, then president of Harvard, said he “deeply regrets Harvard’s past relationship with him.”
“Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes were heinous and reprehensible,” he said at the time. “Behavior like his has no place in our society.”
