The New York Times has severed its professional relationship with former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers in the wake of disturbing revelations about his extensive communications with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Contract Termination Confirmed
The newspaper confirmed on Tuesday that it would not renew Summers' one-year contract as a contributing writer for New York Times Opinion, which had been scheduled to begin in January 2025. Charlie Stadtlander, the Times' executive director for media relations and communications, stated: "Lawrence Summers was a contributing writer for New York Times Opinion on a one-year contract beginning in January 2025. We do not intend to renew this contract. We thank him for his contributions."
Damning Email Evidence
The decision follows last week's release of thousands of documents by House Republicans detailing Epstein's correspondence with various high-profile individuals. The files revealed that Summers maintained a friendly relationship with Epstein long after the financier's 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Their communication continued until 5 July 2019, just one day before Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges.
In one particularly revealing 2018 email, Epstein described himself as Summers' "wing man," while subsequent exchanges showed Summers seeking relationship advice from the convicted sex offender. The economist asked Epstein about the probability of "getting horizontal" with a woman they both referred to as "peril."
Widespread Fallout and Political Reactions
The scandal has prompted multiple organisations to distance themselves from the Harvard professor. The left-leaning thinktank Center for American Progress confirmed that Summers' position as "distinguished senior fellow" had ended, while Yale's Budget Lab announced he was no longer part of their advisory group.
Former President Donald Trump added to the controversy by writing on Truth Social that he would ask the Department of Justice and FBI to investigate Epstein's "involvement and relationship" with Summers and other prominent Democrats. Notably, no Republicans were mentioned in Trump's post.
However, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT where Summers joined the board of directors in November 2023, declined to comment on whether he would be stepping down from his position.
Summers' Response and Professional Background
Facing mounting pressure, Summers announced on Monday that he would "step back from public commitments" to "rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me." In a formal statement, he expressed deep shame for his actions: "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognise the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr Epstein."
Summers served as US Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton and previously resigned as Harvard University president in 2006. He continues to serve as a professor and director of Harvard's Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, and has committed to fulfilling his teaching obligations despite stepping back from public engagements.
