Former Harvard President Larry Summers to Step Down as Professor Amid Ongoing Inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein Ties
Larry Summers will no longer be teaching at Harvard University while the school investigates his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The decision comes after a series of damaging emails surfaced, revealing a close friendship between Summers and Epstein that spanned well into 2019.
The controversy resurfaced when a report by the US House oversight committee released previously undisclosed emails, which showed Summers repeatedly seeking advice from Epstein on personal matters, including a potential romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee. In one message, Epstein referred to himself as Summers' "wingman."
As a result of the renewed scrutiny, Summers has announced that he will take immediate leave from his role as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School, which he led since 2011. His co-teachers will now handle the remaining classes of the current semester.
The decision to step down comes after Summers initially faced pressure to distance himself from Epstein in light of the resurfaced messages. However, he had announced that he would continue teaching and step back from public commitments. This U-turn has led to his departure from multiple high-profile appointments, including board positions at several influential think tanks.
The investigation into Harvard's ties to Epstein also found that the university received approximately $9m in donations from the financier between 1998 and 2008. The controversy surrounding Summers' relationship with Epstein continues to cast a shadow over his reputation as a prominent academic and former US treasury secretary.
Larry Summers will no longer be teaching at Harvard University while the school investigates his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The decision comes after a series of damaging emails surfaced, revealing a close friendship between Summers and Epstein that spanned well into 2019.
The controversy resurfaced when a report by the US House oversight committee released previously undisclosed emails, which showed Summers repeatedly seeking advice from Epstein on personal matters, including a potential romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee. In one message, Epstein referred to himself as Summers' "wingman."
As a result of the renewed scrutiny, Summers has announced that he will take immediate leave from his role as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School, which he led since 2011. His co-teachers will now handle the remaining classes of the current semester.
The decision to step down comes after Summers initially faced pressure to distance himself from Epstein in light of the resurfaced messages. However, he had announced that he would continue teaching and step back from public commitments. This U-turn has led to his departure from multiple high-profile appointments, including board positions at several influential think tanks.
The investigation into Harvard's ties to Epstein also found that the university received approximately $9m in donations from the financier between 1998 and 2008. The controversy surrounding Summers' relationship with Epstein continues to cast a shadow over his reputation as a prominent academic and former US treasury secretary.
larry summers is literally being taken down by the scandal surrounding jeffrey epstein, who was like a total monster 
so yeah i guess it makes sense that he would step down as prof but still it's kinda sad cuz he led an awesome center for yrs and we needed more ppl like him in academia 
btw have u seen those emails tho? theyre literally crazy 
anyway, so Larry Summers used to be super important but now he's just kinda done with teaching because of some sketchy emails with Jeffrey Epstein. it's wild how much info came out about that guy and how everyone's freaking out... and honestly, who knew the school was taking in $9m from him? it's like, what did they know? lol... anyway, I guess Summers is just trying to protect himself from all the heat 
, the emails showing his close friendship with Epstein were always gonna come back to haunt him, now it's time for him to step down and let the investigation unfold 
, can't say whether this will ultimately be good or bad for Harvard, but one thing's for sure - it's a reminder that even in academia, there are no guarantees 
.
. I guess you could say Summers is getting the cold shoulder for being a little too cozy with someone who was basically a sex offender 
. Still, I think he deserves some time to figure out his next move before we start judging him harshly. Maybe this is an opportunity for him to reflect on what went wrong and how he can grow from this experience 
.