'I am deeply ashamed': Larry Summers to step back from public commitments after new Epstein emails

Sen. Elizabeth Warren had called for institutions affiliated with Summers, who served as treasury secretary during the Clinton administration, to sever ties with him.

Larry Summers, who was treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, said Monday that he will be stepping back from public commitments following the recent publication of his correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers said in a statement.

The House Oversight Committee last week released more than 20,000 emails from Epstein’s estate, which included extensive correspondence between the disgraced financier and Summers. The most recent one was from the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019.

“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,” Summers added in his statement.

Larry Summers at the annual technology conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, in July.David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileThe emails released last week revealed a close relationship between Epstein and Summers. In an March 2019 exchange, they corresponded about a woman Summers was interested in.