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Former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers is departing from the board at the ChatGPT creator, just days after a series of electronic messages between him and late convicted sex offender the disgraced billionaire became widely known.

The economist commented in a release that he was "thankful for the chance to have served, optimistic about the promise of the organization, and look forward following their progress".

Summers, who once presided over Harvard University, stated on Monday that he would be scaling back from public responsibilities due to his relationship with the convicted sex offender.

Digital Correspondence

The newly public messages revealed that the official communicated with the financier until the 24 hours preceding his 2019 apprehension for suspected human trafficking of underage individuals.

In a separate statement, the artificial intelligence company expressed it understood Summers' choice to step down.

"We appreciate his significant contributions and the viewpoint he offered to the Board," the organization commented.

Political Context

This announcement comes after both chambers of the US legislature voted on this week to endorse a bill that would require the Department of Justice to release its documents on Epstein.

The measure will afterward proceed to the desk of the White House for endorsement. He has stated he expects to sign the measure, after modifying his stance on the subject following pressure from his supporters.

Message Details

A group of Epstein-related correspondence disclosed by the legislative panel days ago included numerous well-known personalities in the financier's past associates, without suggesting any illegal behavior by those figures.

The emails showed that Summers and Jeffrey Epstein regularly had dinners together, with Epstein often seeking to introduce the academic to notable world leaders.

Individual Statement

After the messages were shared with the general audience, the former official expressed he accepted "complete accountability for my misguided judgment to continue interacting with Jeffrey Epstein".

He further stated that he hoped "to rebuild faith and mend connections with the people closest to me".

Career Background

The economist served in senior posts under party leaders; functioning as Treasury chief under Bill Clinton, and as head of the White House economic team under President Obama.

He headed Harvard from 2001 to 2006 and remains a faculty member there. When announcing his departure from public duties recently on Monday, he stated he would continue his educational duties.

Additional Consequences

Following his announcement on earlier this week, the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning policy institute in the capital where he was a researcher, confirmed that Summers was ceased to be affiliated with the institution.

He became part of the leadership of the technology firm, which develops the language model, in last year - following a defeated move to remove its CEO Sam Altman.