Larry Summers Takes Leave From Harvard After Epstein Email Scandal

Former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard professor Larry Summers has gone on an abrupt leave from teaching after newly released emails revealed his continued friendly communication with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The decision comes amid growing public scrutiny and the reopening of an investigation into his past ties with Epstein.

Summers, who once served as Harvard University’s president, had previously canceled public commitments following the email revelations. On Wednesday, he also ended his association with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Harvard confirmed that Summers will step away from teaching his undergraduate economics courses and his role as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr. Summers has decided it's in the best interest of the Center for him to go on leave while Harvard undertakes its review,” Summers’ spokesperson, Steven Goldberg, said. Classes will continue under his co-teachers. Summers is not scheduled to teach next semester.

The emails show that Summers maintained contact with Epstein long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Some messages suggest Epstein offered personal advice to Summers on a romantic relationship, with Summers appearing to follow up with the person involved.

Summers’ wife, Elisa New, also corresponded with Epstein. In one 2015 email, she thanked him for arranging financial support for a poetry project she directs, saying the gift “changed everything for me.”

Despite prior assurances that he would continue teaching, Summers’ presence in the classroom had already sparked student reactions. On Tuesday, he addressed his undergraduate class on “The Political Economy of Globalization” with a co-teacher, acknowledging regret over his communications with Epstein. Video of his remarks circulated among students, though no immediate reactions were reported publicly.

The controversy has also led several organizations to sever ties with Summers, including the Center for American Progress, the Center for Global Development, the Budget Lab at Yale, Bloomberg TV, and the New York Times. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized Summers’ ties to Epstein on social media, saying he “cozied up to the rich and powerful — including a convicted sex offender.”

Summers served as US Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton and led Harvard as president from 2001 to 2006. In response to the email revelations, Summers said last week that his association with Epstein was a “major error in judgement” and expressed “great regrets” over the matter.