American Economic Association Bans Larry Summers for Life Over Jeffrey Epstein Ties
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers has been banned for life from the American Economic Association (AEA), a high-profile nonprofit scholarly society, marking the latest and one of the most significant professional consequences following the public release of his communications with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The AEA announced the decision on Tuesday, confirming that it had accepted Summers’ voluntary resignation from membership before imposing the lifetime prohibition.
The AEA’s statement was sharply worded, condemning the former official’s conduct as “fundamentally inconsistent with its standards of professional integrity and with the trust placed in mentors within the economics profession.” The ban immediately prohibits Mr. Summers from attending, speaking at, or otherwise participating in any AEA-sponsored events or activities, including serving in any editorial or refereeing capacity for the association’s journals. The action comes after a congressional oversight committee released a trove of documents, including emails and texts, which demonstrated that Summers maintained friendly communications with Epstein, even years after the disgraced financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
The released correspondence showed the extent of the relationship, including messages in which Epstein appeared to offer Mr. Summers advice on pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman the economist viewed as a “mentee.” Mr. Summers, a highly influential figure who advised Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, had already issued a statement saying he was “deeply ashamed of my actions” and that his association with Epstein was a “major error in judgement.” In the wake of the emails’ release last month, Mr. Summers also resigned from the board of OpenAI and stepped back from public commitments, and Harvard University announced a formal review into his relationship with Epstein.
