Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said Monday he was stepping back from all public commitments after newly released emails showed continued contact between him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a statement obtained by CNBC.
Summers, who served as Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, said he was "deeply ashamed" of his actions and took "full responsibility" for what he called a "misguided decision" to continue communicating with Epstein after the financier's first conviction.
The former Harvard University president and current OpenAI board member said his withdrawal was intended to prevent further "pain" caused by the disclosures, which emerged through court-ordered releases tied to litigation involving Epstein's estate and reported across major outlets.
People close to Summers told CNBC and others that he is pausing speeches, advisory positions, and policy commentary to avoid further distraction for the institutions with which he is connected.
The newly surfaced emails are part of a widening series of Epstein-related disclosures that have renewed scrutiny of the disgraced late financier's extensive network, documented for years in investigations by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Miami Herald.
The latest tranche has also intensified political pressure in Washington, where Republicans and aides inside President Donald Trump's White House say they want a far broader and more aggressive public release of all Epstein-related material.
Republicans argue that prominent Democrats — including Clinton and Summers — have not faced sufficient scrutiny despite flight logs, visitor entries, and correspondence involving Epstein — material reported repeatedly over the past decade.
White House officials say the president has privately expressed frustration that earlier disclosures focused disproportionately on figures tied to his orbit rather than on Clinton's documented flights on Epstein's aircraft.
House Republicans, seizing on the renewed momentum, are now preparing a floor vote on legislation demanding full release of Epstein files, according to Fox News and the Washington Examiner, which reported a sharp rise in GOP support as Trump shifts publicly toward calling for maximum transparency.
Sponsors of the measure told reporters the vote is expected soon and said the push reflects constituent pressure and a belief inside the conference that withholding documents further erodes trust in federal institutions.
The House effort marks a more coordinated and assertive move than earlier GOP calls for disclosure, signaling a broader strategic shift as conservatives argue that the true scope of Epstein's political, academic, and financial reach can only be understood through comprehensive document release.
Officials involved in the ongoing court-ordered release process told the Associated Press that more disclosures are expected, though timelines remain uncertain due to privacy redactions and victim-protection requirements still under review.
Summers' announcement arrives as fallout spreads across elite institutions once thought insulated from the scandal, with coverage in CNBC and other outlets noting that the latest waves of documents now touch universities, major nonprofits, financial networks, and the tech sector.
His statement did not address the political battle forming around the files, but his withdrawal from public life added new urgency to Republican demands for full transparency as the House moves toward a vote to force the remaining Epstein documents into public view.