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Larry Summers, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president, announced on Wednesday (February 25) his plan to retire from his professorship at Harvard at the end of the academic year. This decision comes amid scrutiny over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers described the retirement as a "difficult decision" and expressed gratitude to the thousands of students and colleagues he has worked with during his tenure.
Summers, who also served as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, has resigned from this role. According to a statement from Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton, the resignation is connected to the university's ongoing review of documents related to Epstein that were recently released by the government. Summers will remain on leave until the end of the academic year and will not be teaching or taking on new advisees.
Summers, who served as Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton and as director of the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama, has faced increasing scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein. In November, Summers expressed being "deeply ashamed" of his ties to Epstein and announced he would pause all public engagements to "rebuild trust and repair relationships."
He has been banned for life from the American Economic Association and has stepped down from various boards, including OpenAI and Santander.
Documents released in recent months revealed Summers had years of personal correspondence with Epstein, including emails showing him making sexist comments and seeking Epstein's romantic advice.