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One-time economic leader Larry Summers is exiting the board at the artificial intelligence firm, just several days after a series of electronic messages between him and notorious criminal the accused trafficker became public.

The economist stated in a release that he was "grateful for the privilege to have participated, enthusiastic about the potential of the company, and look forward tracking their development".

The former Harvard president, who once headed Harvard University, declared on earlier this week that he would be stepping back from public commitments due to his connections with Epstein.

Digital Correspondence

The newly public emails demonstrated that the official communicated with Jeffrey Epstein until the eve of Epstein's 2019 apprehension for alleged trafficking of young people.

In a separate statement, the artificial intelligence company said it respected the economist's decision to step down.

"We value his many contributions and the viewpoint he provided to the directors," the company commented.

Legislative Background

This development follows after both chambers of the legislative branch voted on this week to endorse a legislation that would mandate the Department of Justice to release its documents on Jeffrey Epstein.

The measure will afterward head to the administration of the White House for signature. Trump has indicated he intends to sign the measure, after reversing his view on the matter following pressure from his base.

Message Details

A group of Epstein-related emails released by the Congressional committee days ago included multiple high-profile figures in the billionaire's former circle, without suggesting any legal wrongdoing by those individuals.

The messages indicated that Summers and Jeffrey Epstein dined together frequently, with the billionaire often seeking to introduce the academic to prominent world leaders.

Personal Response

After the correspondence were released with the general audience, the former official stated he assumed "total ownership for my misguided judgment to continue corresponding with the financier".

He continued that he desired "to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the persons most important to me".

Previous Positions

The economist served in leadership roles under two Democratic presidents; serving as Treasury chief under the former president, and as director of the White House economic team under President Obama.

He led Harvard from five years and remains a academic there. When announcing his withdrawal from public roles earlier on Monday, he said he would continue his academic responsibilities.

Other Impacts

Following Summers' statement on Monday, the Washington think tank, a liberal think tank in the capital where Summers was a researcher, announced that he was ceased to be affiliated with the group.

Summers entered the board of the AI company, which makes the AI chatbot, in 2023 - following a defeated move to remove its CEO the company leader.