A Harvard University spokesperson said the university has opened a new investigation into President Larry Summers’ relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement to the Harvard Crimson, the university said it was “reviewing information about individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents.”
The announcement follows Summers’ previous decision to resign from the board of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
Recently released emails show that Summers corresponded with Epstein until the day before the financier’s arrest on charges of sex trafficking of minors in 2019.
The BBC has contacted Summers for comment on Harvard’s new review.
On Tuesday, Summers brought up the topic of her communications with Epstein to students in a class she teaches at Harvard.
“Some of you may have seen my statement of remorse expressing shame for what I did in my communications with Mr. Epstein,” Summers told students, according to a video recorded by a student.
“I think it is very important to fulfill my teaching duties. So, with your permission, I will continue to talk about the content of the class.”
The public fallout began after Congress last week released more than 20,000 pages of documents from the so-called Epstein files, including several emails between Epstein and Summers.
Timestamps on the emails showed the two had been communicating up until the day before Epstein’s arrest. This was 10 years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting underage girls for prostitution.
Summers, a married father of six, sent a message to Epstein in November 2018, appearing to seek romantic advice regarding his interest in the man he viewed as his ‘economic mentor’.
“I don’t think I’m going anywhere with her now except as an economics mentor,” Summers wrote in one exchange, in which Epstein called himself Summers’ “wing man.”
“Am I thanking her for marrying her or feeling sorry for her? I think it’s the former,” he wrote in another email.
The emails also indicate that Summers and Epstein frequently dined together and that Epstein often attempted to connect Summers with prominent global figures.
No Epstein survivor has ever accused Summers of misconduct, and there is no publicly available evidence implicating him in Epstein’s crimes.
After Summers announced Wednesday that he was stepping down from OpenAi, the artificial intelligence company said it respected Summers’ decision to step down.
“We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brings to the board,” OpenAI said.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the company, am excited about its potential and look forward to its development,” Summers said in a statement to the BBC.
“I take full responsibility for my poor decision to continue communicating with Epstein,” Summers said after the emails were released to the public.
He added, “I want to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”
Summers held senior positions under two Democratic presidents. He served as Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama.
He led Harvard University from 2001 to 2006 and still serves as a professor there. In announcing Monday morning that he would step back from his public commitments, he said he would continue his teaching commitments.
Following Summers’ announcement on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington where Summers served as a senior fellow, confirmed that Summers was no longer affiliated with the organization.
Summers joined the board of OpenAI, which created ChatGPT, in 2023 after a failed attempt to oust CEO Sam Altman.
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives agreed Tuesday to pass legislation requiring the U.S. Justice Department to release its files on Epstein, which they said could potentially lead to the release of tens of thousands of additional documents.
The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for approval. He said he planned to sign the bill after changing his position on the issue amid backlash from supporters.
