đź”— Share this article Former Treasury Secretary Summers Leaves from OpenAI Board Summers declared he would withdraw from public positions after House committee released his frequent correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein One-time economic leader the Harvard professor is leaving the governing body at OpenAI, just days after a series of electronic messages between him and notorious criminal the accused trafficker became public. He commented in a statement that he was "appreciative for the opportunity to have served, enthusiastic about the potential of the company, and anticipate tracking their progress". Summers, who previously headed the prestigious university, stated on Monday that he would be stepping back from public roles due to his connections with Epstein. Email Communications The recently released emails revealed that the economist corresponded with Epstein until the 24 hours preceding the financier's 2019 arrest for suspected human trafficking of young people. In additional comments, the AI firm stated it understood the economist's decision to resign. "We value his many contributions and the insight he brought to the directors," the organization stated. Congressional Action This announcement follows after the entire Congress of the US legislature decided on Tuesday to approve a bill that would mandate the Department of Justice to release its documents on Jeffrey Epstein. The legislation will afterward move to the desk of US President Donald Trump for signature. The President has stated he expects to sign the legislation, after reversing his stance on the issue following pushback from his supporters. Message Details A group of Epstein-connected messages disclosed by the Congressional committee recently included numerous well-known personalities in the billionaire's previous network, without indicating any criminal activity by those individuals. The communications revealed that the economist and Jeffrey Epstein dined together frequently, with he often attempting to link Summers to prominent world leaders. Individual Statement After the emails were made available with the public, he stated he accepted "full responsibility for my poor judgment to continue interacting with Mr Epstein". He further stated that he wanted "to reestablish faith and mend bonds with the people closest to me". Professional History Summers occupied high-level positions under party leaders; functioning as Treasury chief under President Clinton, and as leader of the National Economic Council under President Obama. He headed the university from the early 2000s and remains a professor there. When declaring his withdrawal from public roles earlier on this week, he said he would persist with his academic responsibilities. Additional Consequences Following the economist's announcement on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a progressive policy institute in DC where Summers was a researcher, confirmed that he was ceased to be affiliated with the group. He became part of the directorate of OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, in the previous year - following a failed attempt to remove its CEO the company leader.