🔗 Share this article

Former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers is exiting the board at OpenAI, just a week after a batch of emails between him and notorious criminal Jeffrey Epstein became public.

The economist commented in a statement that he was "appreciative for the chance to have served, enthusiastic about the potential of the organization, and eagerly await following their development".

The prominent academic, who previously presided over the Ivy League institution, declared on earlier this week that he would be withdrawing from public roles due to his connections with Epstein.

Email Communications

The newly public communications demonstrated that the official communicated with Jeffrey Epstein until the 24 hours preceding his 2019 apprehension for suspected sex trafficking of underage individuals.

In another announcement, the artificial intelligence company stated it respected Summers' choice to step down.

"We appreciate his many contributions and the viewpoint he provided to the directors," the company stated.

Political Context

This news follows after the two houses of the US legislature decided on Tuesday to approve a measure that would mandate the US justice department to make public its records on Jeffrey Epstein.

The measure will afterward move to the administration of US President Donald Trump for approval. The President has said he expects to sign the measure, after changing his view on the issue following pressure from his base.

Correspondence Findings

A collection of Epstein-related messages disclosed by the Congressional committee days ago included several well-known personalities in the Epstein's previous network, without implying any illegal behavior by those people.

The communications indicated that the professor and Jeffrey Epstein often met for meals, with he often attempting to introduce the official to notable international personalities.

Personal Response

After the emails were shared with the general audience, Summers said he accepted "total ownership for my poor decision to continue corresponding with Jeffrey Epstein".

He further stated that he wanted "to reestablish faith and mend relationships with the individuals nearest to me".

Previous Positions

The economist occupied senior posts under two Democratic presidents; serving as Treasury chief under Bill Clinton, and as director of the economic advisory body under President Obama.

He presided over Harvard from five years and is still a academic there. When declaring his withdrawal from public roles earlier on Monday, he stated he would maintain his educational duties.

Additional Consequences

Following the economist's announcement on earlier this week, the Washington think tank, a left-leaning research organization in Washington where the professor was a prominent member, verified that the economist was not affiliated with the institution.

The former official joined the leadership of OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, in the previous year - following a defeated move to oust its CEO the company leader.