(MENAFN) Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced on Monday that he will withdraw from visible public roles after newly uncovered emails revealed his long-standing private correspondence with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to US media reports.

“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” Summers stated in a message to POLITICO.

“I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein. While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,” he added.

The recently surfaced emails indicate that Summers, who served under former President Bill Clinton and later acted as an adviser to former President Barack Obama, frequently sought Epstein’s advice regarding a woman he referred to as his mentee.

In one correspondence, Epstein described himself as the economist’s “wing man,” and another email showed Summers suggesting that women, in general, have a lower IQ than men.

The controversy intensified on Monday as a senior Trump administration official and Senator Elizabeth Warren called for organizations to sever ties with Summers.

Summers’ future now seems uncertain at institutions such as Harvard University, the Center for American Progress (CAP), Bloomberg News, and OpenAI, where he holds teaching, advisory, or board positions.

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