Larry Summers Steps Back From Public Roles After Epstein Email Revelations. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced he is stepping back from all public commitments after newly released Epstein files revealed his personal correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein. Summers told The Harvard Crimson he aims to “rebuild trust and repair relationships,” saying he is “deeply ashamed” of continuing communication with Epstein. The move follows President Donald Trump’s order for the Justice Department to investigate ties between Epstein and high-profile Democrats, including Summers. Summers will continue teaching at Harvard but will pause his external engagements as part of what he called a broader effort to take responsibility. The House Oversight Committee last week released thousands of documents from Epstein’s estate, including emails between Summers and the convicted sex offender. Summers, a former Harvard president and senior adviser in the Clinton and Obama administrations, also serves on the board of OpenAI and at the Harvard Kennedy School. The Epstein scandal continues to shadow President Trump as the House prepares to vote on compelling the release of further investigative files—an effort Trump now urges Republicans to support.