Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is set to resign from his teaching post at Harvard University over his links to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Summers will resign from his academic and faculty role at the university and relinquish his university professorship, Harvard’s highest faculty honor, the student newspaper The Harvard Crimson reported, citing a university spokesman.
The former US Treasury secretary, who has been on leave since November, will continue to be off campus until his resignation takes effect at the end of the academic year.
Summers also resigned Wednesday from his role as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, which he has held since 2011.
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Describing his departure as “difficult,” Summers told The Crimson in a statement that he was “grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues with whom I have had the privilege of teaching and working since I came to Harvard 50 years ago as a graduate student.”
Summers’ standing at Harvard began to decline since November of last year after the Justice Department released a trove of emails that revealed long and frequent correspondence between Epstein and the former US Treasury secretary, with conversations ranging from women to politics to Harvard-related projects.
Around the same time, Summers parted ways with several organizations, including the New York Times, Bloomberg, and OpenAI.
He also faces a lifetime ban from the American Economic Association.
Summers is the latest high-profile figure to face fallout over ties to Epstein, with many top executives and public office holders either resigning or being fired since the Epstein files were made public.
Read also | Did the Justice Department Withhold Epstein Files Linked to Trump Allegations? What we know
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Andrew, formerly a prince, was officially stripped of his royal titles late last year as a result of his ties to Epstein and was most recently arrested (and later released) on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Andrew’s arrest came after Thames Valley Police said in February they were investigating claims the then-prince shared confidential documents with Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy in 2010.
The claim itself emerged from an email chain in the latest Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice.
Although Andrew has previously denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, he has not yet commented on the latest batch of files or his arrest.
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Peter Mandelson, former British ambassador to the US
After Peter Mandelson was sacked as British ambassador to the US, he was arrested on 23 February.
Like former Prince Andrew, Mandelson is suspected of passing sensitive British government information to disgraced financier Epstein.
Mandelson was sacked as ambassador last year after documents revealed the depth of his ties to Epstein.
He subsequently resigned from Britain’s ruling Labor Party on February 1 and two days later as a member of the House of Lords.
On February 6, his former lobbying firm announced that it had severed all ties with him.
Mandelson denies any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
Read also | Nobel laureate resigns from Colombia over ties to Epstein
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, former chairman of DP World
The influential Emirati businessman and chairman of DP World, one of the world’s largest logistics companies, recently lost his seat after leaked documents revealed correspondence between bin Sulay and Epstein.
Some emails between the DP World chairman and the disgraced financier include references to escorts, sex massages and porn, with Epstein even writing to bin Sulayem in 2009: “I loved the torture video.
It is not clear what the link was, but authorities have not yet charged bin Sulayem with any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
While DP World has named a replacement for bin Sulaiman, it is unclear whether the Sultan still remains with the company.
Read also | Peter Mandelson has been released on bail after being arrested in the Epstein files for the misconduct investigation
Thorbjørn Jagland, former Prime Minister of Norway
Thorbjørn Jagland, who was prime minister of Norway in the 1990s and then headed the Nobel committee, also faced backlash after leaked files revealed his links to Epstein.
The emails showed Jagland making repeated trips to the disgraced financier’s properties, including the infamous island, with one revealing the disgraced financier paid for one of Jagland’s family’s trips there in 2014.
After the emails emerged, Jagland was stripped of his diplomatic immunity and charged with “gross corruption”.
However, the former prime minister denies wrongdoing and has said he will cooperate fully with the authorities in the investigation.
Read also | Deepak Chopra encouraged Epstein to take “girls” on trips, DOJ files reveal
Mohamed Waheed Hassan, former President of the Maldives
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed Hassan resigned as special envoy to current President Mohamed Muizza after recent emails revealed correspondence with Epstein regarding financial advice.
Hassan, according to NBC, was mentioned more than 600 times and resigned days after the files were released.
The former president told the newspaper he was unaware of Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
“While I have always sought professional and financial advice, I regret not only any association, but any legitimacy I may have inadvertently given him through my involvement with him. I have never witnessed any illegal activity and have only ever been cordial to him in the context of a professional relationship,” Hassan said.
Kathy Ruemmler, former chief legal officer of Goldman Sachs
Kathy Ruemmler, a former White House adviser in the Obama administration, resigned as chief legal officer of Goldman Sachs on February 12 after new emails revealed a friendly relationship with Epstein.
Ruemmler’s name appeared in dozens of email exchanges between Epstein and his assistant, and she even referred to the disgraced financier as Uncle Jeffrey.
“I adore him. It’s like having another big brother!” Ruemmler wrote to Epstein’s assistant in a 2015 email.
“I got to know him as a lawyer and that was the basis of my relationship with him. One of his clients became my client, we worked together regularly and he asked me for advice like many people,” she said in a statement in February.
Ruemmler denies knowledge of criminal behavior by Epstein and has not been charged with any wrongdoing by law enforcement.
Thomas Pritzker, Chairman of Hyatt Hotels
Billionaire Thomas Pritzker announced his resignation as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corp on Feb. 16 after files released by the Justice Department revealed long ties to Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking.
Pritzker had held the post since 2004 and said in his resignation that he regretted his association with the disgraced financier and his accomplice.
“Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in relation to my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, which I deeply regret. I used terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them and there is no excuse for not walking away sooner,” the 75-year-old said.
The emails showed that Pritzker remained in contact with Epstein years after his 2008 conviction, and the billionaire was not charged with any wrongdoing.
Brad Karp, former chairman of Paul, Weiss
On February 4, American lawyer Brad Karp resigned as chairman of the prestigious law firm Paul, Weiss, which he held since 2008.
“The recent news has created a distraction and focus on me that is not in the best interest of the company,” Karp said in a statement released by the company.
Karp’s resignation came in the wake of newly released emails that showed correspondence with Epstein and his assistant spanning several years.
In one email, Karp even thanked the disgraced financier for “an evening I’ll never forget” and thanked him for being an “extraordinary host.”
Karp has not been charged with wrongdoing by law enforcement.
Casey Wasserman, CEO of Wasserman Media Group
Hollywood mogul Casey Wasserman announced on February 14 that he was putting his talent agency up for sale following backlash over his ties to Epstein.
“I am deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort,” Wasserman wrote in a message to Wasserman Media Group employees, in a newly released email revealing correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell.
But Wasserman’s conversations with Maxwell took place more than two decades ago, “long before her horrific crimes came to light,” with the mogul saying he had no “personal or business relationship” with Epstein.
Wasserman has not been accused of any wrongdoing and is currently chairman of the LA28 Olympic Committee, which has rejected calls for his resignation.
