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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is departing from the board at the ChatGPT creator, just days after a collection of electronic messages between him and late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became public.

Summers commented in a statement that he was "appreciative for the opportunity to have participated, optimistic about the prospects of the company, and look forward tracking their progress".

The prominent academic, who once led the prestigious university, announced on earlier this week that he would be stepping back from public responsibilities due to his association with the convicted sex offender.

Digital Correspondence

The newly public messages showed that the economist exchanged messages with the financier until the 24 hours preceding Epstein's 2019 detention for accused trafficking of underage individuals.

In a separate statement, the AI firm stated it understood the economist's choice to depart.

"We value his significant contributions and the viewpoint he offered to the governing body," the company stated.

Legislative Background

This news arrives after both chambers of Congress decided on this week to approve a legislation that would compel the US justice department to disclose its records on Epstein.

The legislation will then head to the desk of the White House for signature. Trump has indicated he expects to approve the bill, after reversing his view on the issue following objections from his supporters.

Correspondence Findings

A batch of Epstein-connected correspondence disclosed by the Congressional committee last week referenced numerous well-known personalities in the financier's past associates, without suggesting any illegal behavior by those individuals.

The messages indicated that the professor and Jeffrey Epstein often met for meals, with Epstein often attempting to introduce Summers to prominent global figures.

Personal Accountability

After the correspondence were made available with the public, he stated he took "complete accountability for my misguided decision to persist in communicating with Jeffrey Epstein".

He continued that he desired "to rebuild faith and fix relationships with the persons most important to me".

Career Background

The professor occupied senior posts under Democratic administrations; functioning as treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and as leader of the White House economic team under President Obama.

He headed the university from 2001 to 2006 and is still a professor there. When declaring his step-down from public commitments earlier on Monday, he said he would persist with his teaching commitments.

Additional Consequences

Following the economist's statement on earlier this week, the policy organization, a progressive research organization in Washington where the professor was a researcher, verified that he was not connected with the organization.

The former official joined the leadership of the technology firm, which makes ChatGPT, in last year - following a unsuccessful effort to oust its CEO the company leader.