Former Harvard President Lawrence (Larry) H. Summers will not continue teaching his ongoing courses at the Ivy League school in an abrupt decision announced on Wednesday. This move comes as Harvard investigates his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers is facing renewed scrutiny over his association with Epstein, whose connections have ensnared numerous influential figures and lawmakers. Summers has also stepped down from his directorship at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government amid the probe. These developments coincide with the federal government preparing for a major release of Epstein-related files, raising questions about institutional accountability and transparency within academia and beyond. On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump announced that he signed the bill to release the Epstein files, after months of pressure to pass the bill. A spokesperson for Summers confirmed the move, saying, Mr. Summers has decided its in the best interest of the Center for him to go on leave from his role as Director as Harvard undertakes its review. His co-teachers will complete the remaining three class sessions of the courses he has been teaching with them this semester, and he is not scheduled to teach next semester. A Harvard spokesperson confirmed that Professor Summers had communicated his decision to the University. Earlier this week, Summers, who is ex-U.S. Treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton, announced he would be stepping back from his public commitments. Two days later, the move to leave his teaching position was announced. Summers departure follows the publication of email exchanges with Epstein, which were released by the House Oversight Committee. The communications showed Summers confided in Epstein over several months, including personal matters unrelated to academia or university business. The public release of these exchanges intensified calls for accountability against those affiliated with Epstein. Harvard has committed to a broad review, saying in a statement: "The University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted."Meanwhile, Trump, who previously labeled efforts to release the files a Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, campaigned months earlier on the promise that he was willing to release the files. On Truth Social Wednesday night, Trump wrote: "Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged by the Trump Justice Department in 2019 (Not the Democrats!), was a lifelong Democrat, donated Thousands of Dollars to Democrat Politicians, and was deeply associated with many well-known Democrat figures, such as Bill Clinton... Larry Summers (who just resigned from many Boards, including Harvard)... and many more. Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!..." Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California, who co-sponsored the Epstein bill, posted on X Wednesday: "Against all odds, the survivors succeeded. Now that it will be the law of the land, anyone at the DOJ who does not comply is risking future prosecution and contempt of Congress."
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