Gender and Leadership

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren called for former Harvard University president Larry Summers to renounce his roles due to this ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He somewhat heeded those words. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons) A fresh batch of emails released by a House committee has revealed that Larry Summers, a former Harvard University president and current faculty member, was messaging with deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein well after the financier's crimes had become public knowledge. Despite this, Summers has continued to teach, and to represent the school – as well as other respected institutions – in public capacities. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is having none of it. In a comment to CNN, she asserted that “his willingness to cozy up to a convicted sex offender demonstrates monumentally bad judgment.” Warren continued: “If he had so little ability to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein even after all that was publicly known about Epstein’s sex offenses involving underage girls, then Summers cannot be trusted to advise our nation’s politicians, policymakers and institutions — or teach a generation of students, at Harvard or anywhere else.” Summers – who in another questionable decision-making moment, once asserted that women were biologically deficient from men in regards to working in math and science – was found to have a years-long correspondence with Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019, after the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last week released roughly 20,000 pages of documents pertaining to Epstein’s case. In addition to seeking donations from Epstein for a foundation run by his wife, Elisa New, Summers also spoke on numerous occasions, and in familiar, friendly, even sophomoric terms, with the sex offender – at one point seeking out romantic advicet in their exchanges. Following the revelation, Summers announced in his own statement this week that he’d be stepping back from some of his public work. “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” he said. “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.” This will entail leaving his posts at the Yale Budget Lab and the Center for American Progress – but not, notably, his faculty position at Harvard, The New York Times reported. Summers is one of a significant number of high-profile individuals with documented ties to Epstein. Others include former Prince Andrew, who renounced his title amid his own public backlash, and President Donald Trump.

Gender and Leadership

Elizabeth Warren Calls for Larry Summers’ Ouster Over Emails With Epstein

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