Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced his decision to withdraw from all public commitments following President Donald Trump’s directive for the Justice Department to probe connections between him and other leading Democrats with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers, a Harvard professor and former university president, expressed his intention to focus on rebuilding trust and repairing relationships with close associates. The move comes in the wake of the U.S. House Oversight Committee releasing numerous Epstein-related documents, including personal exchanges between Summers and Epstein.
Summers conveyed his remorse for his actions and acknowledged the distress they caused, taking full accountability for maintaining communication with Epstein. While continuing his teaching responsibilities, Summers disclosed his plan to scale back public engagements as part of a broader initiative.
A Democrat, Summers served as treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton and led the National Economic Council during President Barack Obama’s tenure. Currently affiliated with OpenAI and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Summers and the mentioned organizations have yet to comment on the situation.
The Epstein scandal has remained a contentious issue for Trump, who has faced criticism for promoting conspiracy theories about Epstein. Allegations of cover-ups involving Epstein’s connections to influential figures and uncertainties surrounding his death in a Manhattan jail have persisted. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the release of investigative Epstein files, a measure initially opposed by Trump but later supported following his call for Republican backing.