Harvard University is reinvestigating connections between its former president Larry Summers and Jeffrey Epstein, a university spokesperson said Wednesday.
The university didn’t mention Summers by name, but the decision to reopen a probe follows the release of emails showing that Summers, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary, maintained a friendly relationship with Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008.
“The University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted,” spokesperson Jason Newton said in a statement first reported by The Boston Globe and The Harvard Crimson.
An earlier review completed 2020 found that Epstein visited Harvard’s campus more than 40 times after his 2008 sex crimes conviction and was given his own office and unfettered access to a research center he helped establish. The professor who provided the office was later barred from starting new research or advising students for at least two years.
Summers said Tuesday he’s stepping back from public commitments. His office said Wednesday that includes resigning from the board of directors of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress,” he said in a statement.
The board of OpenAI said it appreciated Summers’ contributions and perspective.
Summers joined the OpenAI board in Nov. 2023, part of an effort to restore stability at the nonprofit and bring back its CEO Sam Altman after its previous board members fired Altman days earlier.
Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019, was a convicted sex offender infamous for his connections to wealthy and powerful people, making him a fixture of outrage and conspiracy theories about wrongdoing among American elites.
Summers served as treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001 under President Clinton. He was Harvard’s president for five years from 2001 to 2006. When asked about the emails last week, Summers issued a statement saying he has “great regrets in my life” and that his association with Epstein was a “major error in judgement.”
