🔗 Share this article Former Treasury Secretary Summers Leaves from OpenAI Board The economist stated he would step back from public duties after Congressional panel released his repeated messages with Jeffrey Epstein Ex-Treasury chief Larry Summers is leaving the board at OpenAI, just a week after a collection of electronic messages between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became public. He commented in an announcement that he was "grateful for the privilege to have contributed, optimistic about the prospects of the enterprise, and anticipate observing their progress". The former Harvard president, who previously presided over the Ivy League institution, stated on Monday that he would be withdrawing from public roles due to his connections with the convicted sex offender. Message Exchange The newly public messages demonstrated that Summers communicated with Epstein until the 24 hours preceding Epstein's 2019 apprehension for accused sex trafficking of minors. In a separate statement, the AI firm expressed it respected the economist's decision to resign. "We value his numerous inputs and the perspective he offered to the governing body," the organization commented. Political Context This development arrives after both chambers of Congress voted on this week to pass a legislation that would require the US justice department to disclose its documents on Epstein. The legislation will subsequently move to the desk of US President Donald Trump for endorsement. The President has stated he intends to sign the measure, after modifying his stance on the subject following objections from his base. Correspondence Findings A group of Epstein-connected emails released by the legislative panel recently mentioned several prominent individuals in the Epstein's past associates, without suggesting any legal wrongdoing by those people. The emails indicated that the professor and the financier dined together frequently, with the billionaire often trying to link the academic to notable international personalities. Personal Response After the correspondence were made available with the wider community, he stated he accepted "full responsibility for my misguided judgment to continue communicating with the financier". He further stated that he wanted "to restore faith and fix connections with the individuals closest to me". Career Background The economist held leadership roles under party leaders; acting as treasury secretary under President Clinton, and as director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama. He presided over Harvard from the early 2000s and is still a professor there. When declaring his departure from public commitments recently on this week, he indicated he would maintain his teaching commitments. Additional Consequences Following his announcement on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning policy institute in DC where the professor was a researcher, verified that Summers was ceased to be affiliated with the group. Summers entered the directorate of OpenAI, which develops the AI chatbot, in last year - following a defeated move to oust its chief executive Sam Altman.