Former US Treasury Secretary and former Harvard President Larry Summers is stepping down from his positions at the university following its examination of his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Harvard announced that Summers will resign as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government and will also retire from his other academic and faculty roles.
This announcement follows the resignation of Nobel Prize laureate Richard Axel, who left his position as head of Columbia University’s neuroscience lab due to his associations with Epstein.
The Justice Department has made available millions of documents from its investigation into the convicted pedophile, who passed away in a New York jail in 2019.
Neither Summers nor Axel has faced accusations of misconduct from any survivors of Epstein, and there is no publicly accessible evidence suggesting their involvement in any of the crimes committed by the sex offender.
Guthrie update: FBI gets over 750 tips after Savannah’s $1mn reward offer
Harvard issues statement: ‘I look forward in time to…’
On Wednesday, Harvard issued a statement indicating that Summers’ departure was “in connection with the ongoing review by the University of documents related to with Jeffrey Epstein”.
In a statement to the BBC, Summers expressed that his decision was “difficult”.
“Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor,” he added, “I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues.”
Summers stated last November that he was stepping away while the college looked into his connections with Epstein.
He also conveyed his “regret” regarding the controversy while speaking to students in a Harvard class.
The Epstein documents revealed that Summers communicated with Epstein up until the day prior to the financier’s 2019 arrest for purported child sex trafficking.
Also Read: Bill Gates admits 2 affairs with Russian women, issues apology to staff over Epstein ties, bombshell report claims
What is Larry Summers’ net worth?
Larry Summers’ net worth is estimated at $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. In 2009, upon his appointment as the director of the National Economic Council in the Obama administration, Larry Summers assessed his net worth to be in the range of $7 million to $31 million.
Larry Summers’ family: All on his wife and kids
Summers entered into matrimony with his first spouse, economist Victoria Perry, in 1984. Together, they raised three children: a son named Harry and twin daughters named Ruth and Pamela. Their marriage concluded in 2003. In 2005, Larry wed literary scholar and professor Elisa New, who has three daughters from a previous marriage: Orli, Yael, and Maya. Summers currently resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, and has continued to engage with academic life through teaching and research, despite fluctuations in his public visibility over the years.
Larry Summers real estate
In 2006, Larry acquired a residence for $2.53 million, which spans 6,900 square feet in Brookline, Massachusetts. Presently, this property is valued at approximately $5 million.