Harvard University announced on Tuesday that it will open an investigation into former university president Larry Summers over his close relationship with deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The inquiry will also look into the roles other university affiliates had with Epstein, including his wife, an American literature professor at Harvard, and nearly a dozen current and former Harvard affiliates, who were exposed by the House Oversight Committee last week.
“The University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted,” Harvard spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain told the university’s student newspaper.
Summers admitted his relationship with Epstein on Tuesday, and publicly apologized for it.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers said.
In his apology, Summers added that he would step down from his position on the Board of Directors of OpenAI, but would continue to teach students as Harvard’s Charles W. Eliot University Professor.
“While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,” he said.
In the emails, Summers was seen making sexist comments and asking the convicted pedophile for dating advice.
In a previous statement to the Washington Examiner, the OpenAI board of directors said they “respect his decision” and “appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board.”
Harvard has not responded to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.
LARRY SUMMERS WILL STEP BACK FROM PUBLIC LIFE AFTER MESSAGES TO EPSTEIN REVEALED
In 2001, Summers assumed the Harvard presidential suite until his resignation in 2006. Prior to his tenure at the university, Summers served as former President Bill Clinton’s Treasury Secretary. In 2011, former President Barack Obama appointed Summers as Director of the National Economic Council.
Between 1998 and 2008, when Summers transitioned from Clinton’s White House to Harvard’s presidential administration, Epstein donated $9.1 million to the university.