🔗 Share this article

Former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers is departing from the board at the artificial intelligence firm, just days after a batch of electronic messages between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became publicly available.

The economist stated in a release that he was "appreciative for the privilege to have participated, optimistic about the prospects of the organization, and look forward tracking their advancement".

Summers, who once led the prestigious university, announced on recently that he would be stepping back from public roles due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Message Exchange

The freshly disclosed communications showed that the economist corresponded with Epstein until the 24 hours preceding the financier's 2019 apprehension for suspected trafficking of minors.

In additional comments, the technology organization expressed it accepted Summers' decision to step down.

"We acknowledge his significant contributions and the viewpoint he provided to the Board," the company commented.

Congressional Action

This announcement comes after the entire Congress of the US legislature voted on Tuesday to approve a measure that would compel the US justice department to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein.

The measure will subsequently proceed to the administration of the White House for signature. He has said he plans to sign the measure, after modifying his stance on the matter following pushback from his followers.

Email Contents

A group of financier-linked messages made public by the House Oversight Committee days ago mentioned multiple high-profile figures in the Epstein's former circle, without implying any legal wrongdoing by those figures.

The messages revealed that the professor and Jeffrey Epstein often met for meals, with Epstein often trying to connect Summers to notable international personalities.

Personal Accountability

After the correspondence were released with the public, Summers said he took "total ownership for my ill-advised decision to persist in communicating with the financier".

He added that he hoped "to restore trust and repair bonds with the persons nearest to me".

Previous Positions

The professor held leadership roles under Democratic administrations; serving as economic leader under Bill Clinton, and as head of the economic advisory body under President Obama.

He presided over Harvard from 2001 to 2006 and remains a faculty member there. When stating his departure from public duties recently on Monday, he said he would continue his educational duties.

Additional Consequences

Following Summers' announcement on Monday, the policy organization, a progressive research organization in DC where Summers was a researcher, confirmed that he was not connected with the group.

The former official became part of the directorate of the AI company, which makes the language model, in 2023 - following a defeated move to oust its chief executive the company leader.