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Former Harvard University president and US treasury secretary Larry Summers has said he will step back from several public roles following the release of documents detailing years of personal correspondence with convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.In a statement issued by him on Monday night, quoted by The Washington Post, Summers said he was “deeply ashamed” of maintaining contact with Epstein and accepted full responsibility for what he called a “misguided” decision. He said he would continue his teaching duties but would retreat from other commitments as part of an effort to rebuild trust and mend ties with people close to him.“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” Summers said. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein. 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 added.His announcement comes in the wake of the House Oversight Committee’s release of a fresh set of documents detailing Epstein’s extensive interactions with political leaders, influential figures and long-time associates. While much public attention focused on Epstein’s comments about Donald Trump, the material also shed light on his communications with Summers.According to a report by The Guardian, emails exchanged between the two from 2013 to early 2019 show Epstein and Summers discussing politics, personal matters and Summers’s own relationships. In several of the exchanges, Epstein offered advice on Summers’s attempts to pursue a woman. The final messages were sent only months before Epstein’s arrest.The Centre for American Progress said Summers was no longer a fellow and confirmed that the planned launch of an economic working group he was to help lead had been put on hold as Summers continued to remain under public scrutiny. The Yale Budget Lab said he had withdrawn from its advisory group. Other organisations with which he is affiliated, including economic think tanks, did not immediately issue public comments.Summers, who served as Harvard University president from 2001 to 2006 and continues as a professor, faced renewed calls for the university to distance itself. Senator Elizabeth Warren, herself an emerita Harvard professor, told CNN that the institution should sever ties. Harvard did not respond to requests for comment.Epstein donated more than $9 million to Harvard and its affiliated programmes between 1998 and 2008 and briefly held a visiting fellowship that the university later found he was unqualified for.Summers has previously acknowledged regretting his dealings with Epstein. The release of the latest documents has revived scrutiny over the depth and duration of their relationship.
