Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton and top economic advisor to President Obama has been revealed to have maintained a close relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
While Epstein's relationship with Harvard University, which reportedly accepted tens of millions of dollars from him between 2001 and 2006, was severed after his 2008 conviction, Summers continued to meet with him.
According to documents, Summers scheduled dozens of meetings with Epstein between 2013 and 2016, including dinners and other intimate rendezvous. While Summers' spokesman claims that their interactions were primarily focused on "global economic issues," Epstein was also solicited for donations to Summers' wife's poetry coursework in 2014.
Even though Epstein had been a convicted sex offender for at least six years, Summers asked him for "small scale philanthropy advice" and ultimately received $110,000 from a nonprofit linked to Epstein for his wife's nonprofit. Summers' spokesman confirmed that Epstein eventually funded a nonprofit that produced Summers' wife's "Poetry in America" TV show.
Summers is not the only prominent figure to have maintained a relationship with Epstein after his conviction.
Former CIA director William Burns, leftist linguist Noam Chomsky, Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, Bard College President Leon Botstein, and others have also been revealed to have associated with Epstein. Actor Woody Allen, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and Israeli politician Ehud Barak were also in Epstein's post-conviction orbit.
The revelation of Summers' continued relationship with Epstein has raised questions about how Epstein's wealth and influence allowed him to maintain relationships with prominent figures even after his conviction.
While Summers' spokesman has indicated that he "deeply regrets being in contact with Epstein after his conviction" and his wife "regrets accepting funding from Epstein," the continued association of prominent figures with Epstein raises concerns about the extent to which wealth and power can insulate individuals from the consequences of their actions.
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