Larry Summers to resign as Harvard University professor amid Epstein fallout

Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and noted economist, announced Wednesday he plans to resign from his role as a tenured professor at Harvard.

Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and noted economist, announced Wednesday he plans to resign from his role as a tenured professor at Harvard University — a move that comes amid growing scrutiny of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“I have made the difficult decision to retire from my Harvard professorship at the end of this academic year,” Summers said in a statement. “I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago.”

“Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor, I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues,” he added.

Summers also resigned from his leadership position as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard University spokesman Jason Newton confirmed in an email.

Summers’ connection to Epstein was long established, but a cache of emails released by the Justice Department last year showed the two men were closer than had been publicly known. Summers has not been accused of participating in Epstein’s alleged criminal enterprise.