By Trendsetter Tribune 
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In a consequential moment for Ivy League leadership, Larry Summers—the former U.S. Treasury Secretary and past President of Harvard—announced on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, that he will resign from his faculty positions at Harvard University. The move follows a months-long internal review and a storm of public outrage sparked by newly released documents detailing his extensive ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Summers, who has been on leave since November 2025, will officially retire from his academic and faculty appointments at the end of the current school year.
The “Wingman” Emails: Key Findings
The pressure on Summers reached a breaking point following the Department of Justice’s release of millions of pages of records pertaining to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The files uncovered a relationship that spanned decades and continued long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
- The “Wingman” Exchange: In a 2018 email, Epstein described himself as Summers’ “wingman,” offering romantic advice and encouraging Summers to be persistent in pursuing a woman he was tutoring in economics.
- Late Correspondence: Records show the two remained in friendly contact until July 5, 2019—just one day before Epstein’s final arrest on sex-trafficking charges.
- Slur Controversy: A 2016 email surfaced in which Summers appeared to use a slur for Asian people while discussing a potential meeting between Epstein and a Chinese university official.
- Academic Review: Harvard’s review evaluated hundreds of mentions of Summers in the files, looking for violations of the university’s professional integrity standards.
A Cascade of Professional Fallout
The resignation from Harvard is the latest in a series of high-profile departures for Summers as institutions distance themselves from the Epstein fallout.
| Organization | Action Taken | Date |
| OpenAI | Resigned from Board of Directors. | Nov 2025 |
| New York Times | Contract as contributing writer not renewed. | Nov 2025 |
| American Economic Assoc. | Lifetime Ban from all events and speaking. | Dec 2025 |
| Harvard Kennedy School | Resigned as Co-Director of Mossavar-Rahmani Center. | Feb 2026 |
| University of Austin | Withdrew from Advisory Board. | July 2025 |
Summers: “I Am Deeply Ashamed”
In a statement released Wednesday, Summers acknowledged the difficulty of his decision to leave the institution he led as president from 2001 to 2006.
“I have made the difficult decision to retire from my Harvard professorship… 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.” — Larry Summers, Feb 25, 2026
Summers indicated that as “President Emeritus,” he plans to focus on independent research and commentary on global economic issues, free from formal institutional responsibilities.
The Broader Academic Inquiry
Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton confirmed that the university’s review of “individuals at Harvard” named in the Epstein documents is ongoing. The investigation follows a 2020 report that found Epstein had donated over $9 million to the school, though that earlier report had notably omitted the depth of Summers’ personal relationship with the financier.
The fallout from the latest DOJ release has already led to arrests in the UK—including reports of Peter Mandelson and Prince Andrew—suggesting that the “Epstein ripple effect” is far from over.