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Ex-Treasury chief the Harvard professor is exiting the directorate at the artificial intelligence firm, just a week after a collection of electronic messages between him and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein became widely known.

He remarked in a statement that he was "thankful for the privilege to have contributed, optimistic about the prospects of the organization, and look forward following their progress".

The former Harvard president, who previously headed the prestigious university, announced on recently that he would be stepping back from public roles due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Message Exchange

The newly public emails showed that the economist corresponded with Epstein until the 24 hours preceding his 2019 arrest for accused human trafficking of young people.

In a separate statement, the artificial intelligence company said it respected Summers' choice to resign.

"We value his significant contributions and the viewpoint he provided to the directors," the organization commented.

Congressional Action

This news arrives after the two houses of the US legislature agreed on this week to endorse a bill that would require the Department of Justice to disclose its files on Jeffrey Epstein.

The legislation will then proceed to the office of President Trump for signature. He has indicated he plans to approve the legislation, after modifying his stance on the subject following pushback from his supporters.

Message Details

A batch of financier-linked emails released by the Congressional committee days ago referenced numerous prominent individuals in the billionaire's former circle, without indicating any criminal activity by those individuals.

The communications showed that Summers and the financier dined together frequently, with Epstein often attempting to connect the academic to influential world leaders.

Personal Response

After the correspondence were made available with the wider community, Summers expressed he accepted "complete accountability for my misguided judgment to maintain interacting with Jeffrey Epstein".

He added that he hoped "to rebuild confidence and repair relationships with the persons closest to me".

Career Background

Summers held high-level positions under party leaders; serving as economic leader under Bill Clinton, and as head of the White House economic team under the former leader.

He headed the university from the early 2000s and continues to be a faculty member there. When announcing his step-down from public commitments earlier on Monday, he stated he would continue his academic responsibilities.

Other Impacts

Following the economist's announcement on Monday, the policy organization, a liberal think tank in DC where Summers was a researcher, confirmed that he was ceased to be associated with the group.

He joined the board of the technology firm, which makes the language model, in last year - following a defeated move to oust its CEO the company leader.