🔗 Share this article Former Treasury Secretary Summers Resigns from OpenAI Board The economist declared he would step back from public positions after House committee released his repeated correspondence with Epstein One-time economic leader the Harvard professor is leaving the board at the ChatGPT creator, just several days after a series of emails between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became publicly available. He commented in a statement that he was "appreciative for the privilege to have contributed, enthusiastic about the potential of the company, and look forward observing their development". Summers, who previously presided over Harvard University, announced on earlier this week that he would be scaling back from public roles due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Digital Correspondence The freshly disclosed messages revealed that the official corresponded with Jeffrey Epstein until the eve of the financier's 2019 apprehension for accused trafficking of minors. In a separate statement, the technology organization expressed it accepted Summers' decision to step down. "We acknowledge his many contributions and the insight he provided to the directors," the organization stated. Political Context This announcement comes after the entire Congress of Congress voted on Tuesday to approve a measure that would compel the federal prosecutors to make public its records on the case. The measure will subsequently proceed to the office of the White House for endorsement. He has said he plans to approve the bill, after reversing his position on the subject following objections from his supporters. Correspondence Findings A group of financier-linked emails released by the Congressional committee recently included multiple prominent individuals in the billionaire's previous network, without suggesting any illegal behavior by those people. The messages showed that the economist and Jeffrey Epstein regularly had dinners together, with he often seeking to connect the official to prominent global figures. Personal Response After the messages were shared with the public, Summers expressed he took "full responsibility for my poor decision to maintain corresponding with the financier". He added that he desired "to reestablish trust and fix relationships with the individuals nearest to me". Previous Positions The economist served in senior posts under Democratic administrations; acting as Treasury chief under the former president, and as leader of the National Economic Council under President Obama. He led the university from the early 2000s and continues to be a academic there. When declaring his withdrawal from public commitments previously on this week, he indicated he would maintain his educational duties. Further Repercussions Following the economist's declaration on Monday, the Washington think tank, a liberal think tank in DC where Summers was a researcher, verified that Summers was ceased to be affiliated with the group. The former official entered the board of the AI company, which develops ChatGPT, in last year - following a unsuccessful effort to oust its CEO Sam Altman.