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One-time economic leader the Harvard professor is leaving the board at OpenAI, just several days after a batch of emails between him and late convicted sex offender the accused trafficker became publicly available.

The economist remarked in a release that he was "grateful for the opportunity to have contributed, excited about the potential of the company, and eagerly await tracking their development".

Summers, who formerly headed the prestigious university, declared on Monday that he would be stepping back from public responsibilities due to his association with Epstein.

Message Exchange

The freshly disclosed messages revealed that the economist exchanged messages with the financier until the eve of his 2019 detention for suspected trafficking of young people.

In additional comments, the technology organization said it respected the economist's decision to resign.

"We value his significant contributions and the perspective he provided to the Board," the organization remarked.

Political Context

This news comes after the entire Congress of the US legislature agreed on Tuesday to endorse a bill that would mandate the federal prosecutors to make public its records on Epstein.

The bill will then move to the administration of US President Donald Trump for approval. He has indicated he expects to endorse the measure, after reversing his view on the subject following pressure from his base.

Message Details

A collection of Epstein-related emails made public by the Congressional committee recently referenced multiple prominent individuals in the financier's former circle, without suggesting any criminal activity by those individuals.

The communications revealed that the economist and Epstein often met for meals, with Epstein often seeking to link the academic to prominent world leaders.

Individual Statement

After the emails were released with the general audience, Summers said he took "total ownership for my misguided choice to maintain corresponding with Mr Epstein".

He added that he hoped "to rebuild faith and mend connections with the persons most important to me".

Professional History

The professor held senior posts under party leaders; serving as economic leader under Bill Clinton, and as leader of the economic advisory body under President Obama.

He led the university from five years and is still a professor there. When announcing his withdrawal from public roles earlier on Monday, he said he would maintain his educational duties.

Further Repercussions

Following Summers' declaration on Monday, the policy organization, a left-leaning research organization in DC where he was a prominent member, announced that he was ceased to be associated with the group.

He entered the board of the technology firm, which develops the language model, in the previous year - following a unsuccessful effort to remove its top executive Sam Altman.